Federal cabinet approves Punjab govt's plea to ban TLP after violent protests

• Federal cabinet finds TLP involved in "terrorist activities".
• Religio-political party faces ban for second time after 2021.
• Law ministry to file reference with top court for ban's approval.
  

The federal cabinet has greenlighted a ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the Anti-Terrorism Act following a request from the Punjab government, citing violent protests in the province that left several dead and many injured.

The move follows a series of fierce demonstrations by the TLP that erupted earlier this month after police dismantled a protest camp in Muridke, leading to confrontations that resulted in the death of a police station house officer (SHO) and three others, including a passerby.

In today's session, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the federal cabinet unanimously approved declaring the TLP a proscribed organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act, according to the declaration.

The summary was presented by the Ministry of Interior following a request from the Punjab government. Senior officials from Punjab also attended the meeting via video link.

A briefing apprised the cabinet members about the TLP's violent and terrorist activities and its involvement in spreading unrest across the country since its establishment in 2016.

The meeting was told that the party's actions had fuelled incidents of chaos and disturbance in various parts of the country.

It was further stated that the previous government had also imposed a ban on the TLP in 2021, which was lifted six months later on the condition that the organisation would refrain from engaging in violent or disruptive activities.

The new ban was imposed after the group violated those assurances.

The briefing also recalled that past violent protests, gatherings, and rallies organised by the TLP had resulted in the deaths of security personnel and innocent bystanders.

After reviewing the briefing and the Punjab government's recommendations, the federal cabinet reached a unanimous conclusion that the TLP is involved in terrorism and violent activities.

The cabinet also issued directives to the Ministry of Interior to complete legal procedures for enforcing the ban.

Well-placed sources said that the matter regarding the ban on the TLP would be sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice, which will formally file a reference with the Supreme Court within 15 days following the cabinet's approval to meet legal requirements.

The TLP would be denotified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) once the top court approves the federal government’s reference, he sources added.