What is Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan that has shaken Islamabad to the core in just two days? Explained here

New Delhi: Protests organized by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) in Pakistan have robbed the Shehbaz Sharif government of its peace. These protests, organized in support of Palestine, have now turned violent, killing at least five people, including a police officer. Several reports emerged of clashes between police and protesters in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Monday, 13 October 2025. Several vehicles were also set on fire. More than 100 people have been arrested so far.

TLP called for a march from Lahore to Islamabad

Previously, the TLP had called for a march from Lahore to Islamabad last Thursday. The group had announced plans to march to the US Embassy in Islamabad to protest US President Doland Trump’s Gaza agreement to end the war between Israel and Hamas. However, on Friday, October 10, the protests turned violent when the radical group called for a “Labbaik or Aqsa Million March” to Islamabad. Pakistani authorities strongly opposed this move and, amid stone-pelting, resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas shells against protesters.

Why the latest violence?

Authorities also suspended mobile and internet services in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi. During Friday’s protests, approximately 50 police officers were injured, while the TLP claimed some of its members were killed. The following day, authorities arrested more than 100 people during the protests. New clashes broke out on Monday when protesters attempted to remove shipping containers and clashed with police in Lahore.

Pakistani authorities have currently closed roads around Lahore and Islamabad. A large number of security personnel have been deployed and the TLP protest camp in Muridke has been surrounded. TLP supporters are camped in Muridke, near Lahore. Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a high-level meeting with Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday, 13 October 2025.

What is Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan?

Until a few years ago, Tehreek-e-Labbaik was not a prominent political organization in Pakistan. However, in recent years, the organization has been in the news more for its violent involvement in religious issues, particularly those related to blasphemy and the Ahmadiyya community, than for national politics. The TLP emerged in 2015 when it organized widespread protests to defend a man convicted of murdering former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer for opposing Pakistan’s blasphemy law. As time went on, the party gained prominence. In the 2018 elections, the group launched a major campaign in defense of the country’s blasphemy law. Since then, the TLP has been known for violent protests, especially on religious issues.

On its website, the TLP claims to be the only political and religious movement in Pakistan that has consistently advocated for the defense of the Holy Prophet’s honour. The party has also organized numerous violent protests, particularly against insults to the Quran abroad. Additionally, this radical Islamic party has been in the news for attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya community and their holy sites in 2025.

What does TLP say about the latest protests?

The TLP said the protests were originally organized to oppose the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which Pakistan supported. It was also intended to express solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza War. Senior TLP member Allama Muhammad Irfan said the party had no demands and the march was meant to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Gaza. “We don’t know when we will reach Islamabad, but the government is brutalizing us. We are not negotiating with the government at all,” Irfan told AFP.