MURIDKE – Early hours of Monday bring hardliner TLP face to face with Punjab police and law enforcement agencies as violent clashes erupted after authorities moved in to disperse protesters camped in Muridke.
The standoff, which started when officials dug trenches to block the group’s march toward Islamabad, escalated into chaos overnight. Witnesses reported loud confrontations, tear gas shelling, and a heavy police presence as security forces launched a massive six-hour crackdown before Fajr prayers.
What started as a quiet night in the small town of Muridke turned into scenes of terror and destruction as cops stormed the area in a pre-dawn operation against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters. In the early hours, GT Road transformed into a battlefield, with burnt vehicles, shattered glass, and the smell of tear gas lingering in the air.
According to Punjab Police, the fierce clash claimed five lives, including a police SHO, three TLP protesters, and one passerby, while 48 officers were injured, 17 hit by bullets. At least eight civilians also sustained injuries in the chaos. More than three dozen government and private vehicles were set ablaze as the operation raged for five straight hours, from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., after talks between the government and TLP failed.
TLP Muridke Operation
In the nearby neighborhoods, masses woke to sound of explosions and chaos as police started the operation with full force. People were running everywhere in tear gas.
At Muridke Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, every corridor and ward filled up by early morning.
Those who were at the spot said police and Rangers began surrounding the site late Sunday night. In wee hours, the lights on TLP’s main container suddenly went off and no one knows if it was the authorities or TLP’s own security. Within minutes, chaos erupted.
“When the lights came back, TLP chief Saad Rizvi looked fazed. He asked for mic but air was thick with tear gas and bullets were flying all over.
As per reports around 3,000 TLP supporters were present when the operation began. Police reinforcements had poured in from Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujrat, and Gujranwala, forming tight perimeters around the protest zone.
Locals said TLP activists were not unprepared, as they brought water and salt to fight tear gas. Some charged at police with sticks, others tried to douse fires. By morning there were burned cars, motorcycles, and metal scraps.
TLP’s main container was in flames, completely destroyed. The ground is littered with empty bullet shells and tear gas canisters.
The operation was reportedly completed by 7am, and later authorities started cleaning of GT Road.
