Pakistan Proscribes TLP Under Anti‑Terror Act

Pakistan’s federal cabinet unanimously approved and the interior ministry on Friday officially proscribed Tehreek‑e‑Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the Anti‑Terrorism Act, 1997, placing the group on the First Schedule as a proscribed organisation. The move followed violent nationwide anti‑Israel/Gaza protests and a march from Lahore to Islamabad that turned into clashes with police, with reported deaths ranging from about five to as many as 16 and many injured. Authorities and the Punjab government said TLP reneged on assurances given when a 2021 ban was lifted and repeatedly incited unrest, prompting the cabinet to conclude the group was connected with and concerned in terrorism. The official notification orders strict enforcement — monitoring of offices, freezing of bank accounts and properties, and placing active members on ATA schedules — and asks the law ministry to prepare a reference to the Supreme Court to formalize the proscription. TLP, founded as a movement and later a party with a strong Punjab base and a hard‑line anti‑blasphemy stance, has a history of mass mobilisations and confrontations, and its leader Saad Rizvi has reportedly gone underground amid the crackdown.