Pakistan: Four killed, 56 injured in violent clashes during TLP march in Muridke

Islamabad, Oct 13 (IANS) At least four people, including police and civilians, were killed and 56 others injured in Pakistan’s Muridke on Monday during violent clashes linked to the radical Islamist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) long march, the local media reported.

The Pakistani police and rangers launched an operation to disperse TLP supporters after violence broke out during the march. The protesters reportedly hurled stones, used spiked sticks and petrol bombs and later fired indiscriminately, causing casualties among both law enforcement personnel and civilians.

The violent clashes left 48 police and rangers personnel injured, 17 of them from gunfire. Additionally, three TLP supporters and one passerby lost their lives, while eight other civilians sustained injuries, Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported

Reports suggest that as many as 170 people, including workers, office-bearers and activists associated with TLP were arrested by the Pakistani law enforcement agencies across three districts in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The arrests made under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) included 69 in Pakpattan, 42 in Sahiwal and 50 in Okara districts of Punjab.

Pakistan’s Lahore city has been rocked with violent protests and deadly clashes over the weekend, as TLP clashed with the Pakistani police after it was stopped from marching towards the capital for holding a massive pro-Palestine demonstration.

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies, including Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) and large police forces from five districts, were dispatched to Muridke in Punjab early Sunday. They reportedly surrounded the TLP protest camp, which appeared to be a step towards a large-scale crackdown.

On the other hand, officers were put on high alert to manage any potential emergencies, with senior police officials in Lahore were instructed to stay ready for deployments until final orders.

Citing a Punjab province police source, Pakistani daily Dawn reported that the decision to increase the number of deployed police officials followed a high-level meeting on Saturday night.

During the meeting, the officials were informed that violent TLP supporters had repeatedly attacked police facilities at Shahdara in Lahore, taking away 18 official motorbikes from a station compound and causing significant damage to infrastructure.

Additionally, the mob also seized government vehicles at gunpoint, reportedly using them in unlawful activities.

Amid clashes in Shahdara, some Lahore policemen were reported missing, raising concerns that they might have been abducted.

The TLP, a group infamous for its radical character and demeanour, also drew intense criticism on social media as the netizens slammed it for orchestrating and staging violence on streets despite a peace deal in the works between Israel and Palestine.

--IANS

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