LAHORE – Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) head Maulana Saad Rizvi and his younger brother Anas Rizvi would be arrested soon, said police on Tuesday.
“Surrender yourself before the court,” said the police while addressing the TLP top leadership. The police said that they are not sure whether both brothers are injured or not.
According to the sources, the TLP leaders, particularly Saad Rizvi and Anas Rizvi were booked under terrorism charges.
The development followed a crackdown on TLP rally in Muridke.
The sources said that the police asked the Rizvi brothers to surrender if they are injured, so they could be provided medical care.
The violent clashes resulted in the martyrdom of a police officer and injuries to dozens of personnel, police sources confirmed.
According to police, the incident occurred during the night between October 12 and 13, when the administration held negotiations with the protest leaders and advised them to move their demonstration to a less affected area. However, instead of complying, the protest leaders continued to provoke the crowd, leading to violent attacks involving stone-pelting, nail-studded sticks, and petrol bombs.
The police sources said the rioters snatched weapons from officers and opened fire using the seized arms. A postmortem and initial forensic examination confirmed that the bullets used in the firing were from the snatched weapons. In an attempt to prevent further escalation, police resorted to tear gas and baton charge, which infuriated the mob further, resulting in coordinated attacks.
At least 40 public and private vehicles were set on fire, along with several shops. During the violent clashes, 48 police personnel sustained injuries — 17 of them with gunshot wounds — and were shifted to different hospitals for medical treatment.
Preliminary reports suggested that three TLP workers and a passerby were killed in the violence, while around 30 civilians were injured. The rioters also hijacked several vehicles, including a university bus, and used them during the protest. Eyewitnesses claimed that some vehicles were deliberately driven into crowds to crush people.
Police sources said the attackers used stones, petrol bombs, and nail-studded clubs in an organized assault and also fired indiscriminately from multiple locations. Several suspects have been arrested.
According to the police, the entire episode was a pre-planned act of organized violence, with the TLP leadership playing a provocative role and later fleeing the scene, putting both citizens and the state at risk. “Snatching weapons, throwing petrol bombs, and torching vehicles cannot be termed a peaceful protest,” an officer said.
The police vowed that all those involved in the violence would be held accountable under the law. They added that the death of an innocent passerby was a national tragedy, emphasizing that it was the state’s responsibility to ensure the protection of citizens’ lives and property through a unified strategy.
