Pakistan In Turmoil As TLP Protests Turn Islamabad Into Fortress Amid Army Allegations

International News: Violent protests by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) supporters are continuing in Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan. Clashes between TLP supporters and police have left two people dead and more than 15 injured, including several policemen. These clashes began late Wednesday night when the TLP held a protest outside the US Embassy in Islamabad to show solidarity with Palestinians. Following this, the TLP held a protest in Lahore on Friday and announced a march towards Islamabad. Violence erupted, disrupting life in several key Pakistani cities, including Lahore. This raises questions about the organization that has taken Pakistan hostage. The TLP, a far-right Islamist group that has sparked violent clashes in Lahore and tensions in Islamabad, has increasingly come under the spotlight. Interestingly, the TLP is considered a stooge of the Pakistani military. The Pakistani military has often used this organization to corner governments and push the country towards Sharia. Today, due to this TLP, the roads of Islamabad have had to be sealed with containers and internet services have been shut down.

Started 10 years ago

The TLP, a far-right Barelvi Sunni group, was founded by Khadim Hussain Rizvi in ​​2015. It came to prominence after the 21-day siege of Islamabad in 2017. Subsequently, in December 2020, Labbaik launched protests against allegedly blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in France and demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador to Pakistan. It also displayed considerable aggression during this period.

The TLP was banned in April 2021, and its leader, Saad Rizvi, was jailed under anti-terrorism laws. Saad Rizvi is the son of Labbaik founder Hussain Rizvi. Saad took over the group's leadership after Hussain Rizvi's death in 2020. The ban was lifted a few months later. It was believed that the military was behind the lifting of the ban.

Pak Army behind Labbaik!

Arif Azakia, a Pakistani-origin human rights activist based in London, told ANI that the TLP, like other terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, was created by the Pakistani military to manipulate domestic politics. The Pakistani military has occasionally activated and deactivated groups like Labbaik to maintain political control.

According to the Atlantic Council, the 2017 Labbaik protests ended only after the military brokered a compromise between the TLP and the Nawaz Sharif-led government. Video footage later surfaced showing a senior military officer distributing money to TLP protesters. In a case related to the 2017 protests, Pakistan's Supreme Court pointed to the alleged role of the ISI in the country's politics

Pawn to topple the government

Several reports suggest that the TLP was strategically deployed during the 2018 elections to weaken Nawaz Sharif's party, the PML-N, and pave the way for Imran Khan's PTI. At the time, Imran Khan was considered a pro-military leader. Therefore, at the behest of the military, the TLP used protests to pave the way for Khan. After Imran Khan became Prime Minister, the TLP became active again within a few days of his clash with then-ISI chief Asim Munir (the current Army Chief). The TLP's pattern of protests resurfaced during the 2021 protests. The TLP's presence on the streets sparked unrest and ultimately led to the fall of Imran Khan's government.