Staff Reporter
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s chehlum was observed on Sunday (today) near Mosque Rehmatul Lil Alameen at Multan Road’s Battery Stop in Lahore amid strict security measures and presence of his thousands of followers.
His followers recited Holy Quran and naats all along on Saturday night. And after more recitations on Sunday forenoon, dua was also offered after Zohr prayers.
Lahore police took strict security measures and deployed more than 1,000 personnel. The DIG Operations instructed officers and personnel on duty to be alert with strict checking on entrance and exit points around the area.
DIG Operations Ashfaq Khan said all routes leading to Multan Road’s Battery Stop are under their watch and snipers have also been deployed around the buildings of the Chehlum venue to keep a close eye on the movement of visitors. He said Dolphin Squad, Peru Force, Elite Force and police vehicles patrolled the areas around the venue. Superintendent of Police (SP) Iqbal Town Muhammad Ajmal visited the chehlum venue at Multan Road and said four DSPs and 12 SHOs have been assigned three-tier security arrangements in which coming visitors and pilgrims are being checked at three spots. Traffic police have also made arrangements and blocked Multan Road from Chowk Yateem Khana to Schme Morr for all kinds of traffic. City Traffic Officer deployed 18 senior traffic warders and 220 wardens. Tehreek-e-Labbaik workers chanted slogans to commemorate their leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi. The TV channel reported caravans after caravans reached Multan Road from across the country. It is pertinent to note that Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi passed away after a prolonged illness on November 19, 2020.
PROFILE
Khadim Hussain Rizvi was born in 1966 in the Pindigheb area of Attock District, Punjab. He started hafiz class in Jhelum. Further, he took admission in Jamia Nizamia, Lahore. He was a Hafiz-e-Quran and Sheikh-ul-Hadith. He delivered Friday sermons at Lahore’s Pir Makki Masjid while in the Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department.
He was confined to a wheelchair since 2009 ever since an accident near Gujranwala as the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while driving from Rawalpindi to Lahore.
TEHREEK-E-LABBAIK PAKISTAN
In 2015, he founded a political party called Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a political front for Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYP). TLP came into existence after the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, for opposing the blasphemy laws and subsequently rose to fame. During the assassination of the Governor, Rizvi was serving as an Auqaf official in the Punjab government. Rizvi had justified the assassination on the pretext that Taseer had termed the blasphemy law as a “black law”. He was served warning notices to cease and desist from spreading his views in favour of blasphemy laws but his refusal to do so led to his removal from public service.
