By PTI
LAHORE: At least five persons, including a policeman, were killed on Wednesday in fresh clashes between supporters of a radical Islamist party and police in Pakistan’s Punjab province after the Imran Khan government failed to meet their demands to release the party chief Saad Rizvi and expel the French envoy.
More than 10,000 supporters of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) who had been camping between Muridke and Gujranwala along the GT Road for the last three days on Wednesday started march towards Islamabad after Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government announced that it “cannot meet the TLP’s demand for expulsion of the French ambassador”.
TLP’s founder late Khadim Rizvi’s son Saad Rizvi has been detained by the Punjab government since April last under the maintenance of ‘public order’ (MPO) following the party’s protest against the blasphemous caricatures of Islam’s Prophet published in France and its demand that the French ambassador be sent back and import of goods from that country be banned.
The TLP had given a two-day deadline on Sunday to the government to meet its demands or face a sit-in in the capital.
On Wednesday, clashes took place between the Islamists and police at Sadhoke, some 50 kms from Lahore, when thousands of the protesters started the march towards Islamabad after getting a go-ahead from their leadership.
“When the TLP workers reached Sadhoke police stopped them by force. The area became a battle ground. Police used tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. The clashes left dozens of TLP workers including policemen injured, a senior police officer told PTI.
He said cellphone and internet services have been suspended from Muridke to Gujranwala areas of Punjab.
A fresh batch of 10,000 policemen has been called from Lahore to stop the protesters from heading towards Islamabad, he added.
At least one policeman was killed in the clashes and a police spokesperson said dozens of policemen were injured in the clashes.
TLP office-bearer Ibne-I-Ismail told PTI that at least four of its workers were killed from the direct firing of the police.
He also claimed that firing was also made on the protesters from a helicopter.
“Police did a massive shelling and also threw drums of acid on road to stop Ashiqaan-e-Rasool (lovers of the Prophet) to proceed to Islamabad, Ismail said and warned the government that thousands of TLP workers will sacrifice their lives but will not budge from their demands.
The death toll has risen to 15 11 TLP workers and four policemen since the clashes broke out between the TLP and police over a week ago.
A couple of days ago, the government had freed 350 TLP activists to placate the radical group.
The TLP central committee said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has lied to it regarding implementing the agreement with it to expel the French envoy.
“Sheikh Rashid lied yesterday that matters have been resolved. Let the entire nation see the malicious intent of the government,” TLP leader Syed Sarwar Shah Saifi said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Rashid had said that the government did not have any “reservations” on the TLP’s demands and there was agreement on all issues discussed with the group – except for the matter of the French ambassador’s expulsion.
Saifi said that France had committed blasphemy at the government level and the TLP thus expected an official response from the Khan government.
“Are these claimants of the state of Madina unable to respond to France? ” he asked and said the TLP had abided by the agreement despite losing 40 lives.
“Our demands will increase if more blood is spilled and the nation will be rid of this dishonest, lying and hypocritical government,” he warned.
“Don’t lie to the nation. No negotiations are being done with us. he government is not sincere in negotiations but if more blood is shed now, revenge will be taken. Prime Minister Imran Khan is staying aloof as he has nothing to do with the nation,” the TLP leader said.
Meanwhile, the Faizabad intersection that connects the twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi has been blocked by police to prevent the TLP protesters from entering the federal capital territory.
The TLP shot to fame in 2017 when it held a massive protest for three weeks in the busy Faizabad interchange near Islamabad.
The party lifted the lockdown of the city after the then government sacked the law minister.
