In a preemptive bid to curb potential unrest, Pakistani authorities have cut off mobile and internet access in the capital Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, while fortifying entry and exit points, as the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) gears up for its “Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March” on Friday. The measures, enacted just hours before the planned pro-Palestine demonstration near the US embassy, underscore escalating tensions over the group’s anti-Israel stance.
The crackdown follows a night of fierce confrontations in Lahore, where Punjab police stormed the TLP headquarters to detain party leader Saad Hussain Rizvi. Officers clashed with supporters hurling stones and iron rods, leaving at least five constables and more than a dozen TLP members injured, according to a police source speaking to news agency PTI. The TLP countered that one worker died and 20 others were hurt in the melee, which erupted late Wednesday and stretched into Thursday.
Authorities had moved swiftly after TLP announced the rally to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza. The raid at the Yateem Khana site in Lahore aimed to execute an arrest warrant for Rizvi, but he slipped away amid the chaos. Heavy police reinforcements now encircle the building, with the Punjab government weighing the deployment of paramilitary Rangers to de-escalate further skirmishes—a force TLP activists have historically avoided targeting.
The interior ministry, under Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s approval, instructed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend services in the twin cities starting at midnight Friday, with no clear end date. This digital blackout aims to disrupt coordination among protesters amid security fears.
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Complementing these steps, Punjab invoked Section 144 province-wide, effective immediately for 10 days, prohibiting assemblies of four or more in public spaces, streets, or open areas. Exemptions cover religious prayers, weddings, funerals, government offices, and courts, but a total ban applies to weapon displays and loudspeaker use. In Rawalpindi, the order holds until October 11; Islamabad’s Red Zone remains off-limits, accessible only via Margalla Road for cleared personnel, with all major routes barricaded by shipping containers.
TLP spokesperson decried the response as “disgraceful tactics” by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s administration to thwart a “peaceful” march. “The oppression against unarmed workers and officials of TLP must be stopped immediately,” the spokesperson urged, noting dozens of detentions. He lambasted the raids as peak state repression, especially after deputy chief Pir Syed Zaheer-ul-Hassan Shah’s arrest, framing solidarity with Palestine as a criminalized act. “The Jews are oppressing Muslims in Gaza, and here their supporters are oppressing Muslims,” he charged, vowing that “the voice of truth cannot be silenced through force” and warning of backlash if arrests continue.
As law enforcement stays on high alert, the federal capital hunkers down, bracing for what could become a flashpoint in Pakistan’s volatile political landscape.
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