Punjab govt officially writes to Center for ban on TLP

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Friday officially approved and forwarded the summary to the federal government for banning the radical party, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakis­­tan (TLP).

Addressing a press conference, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari stated that the government has sent the recommendation for the ban to the Center, and the legal requirement with regard to the provinces has been fulfilled.

Her statement comes a day after the Punjab government decided to ask the Centre to ban the TLP. Meanwhile, there have been reports of authorities going down hard on the TLP since a crackdown on its protest camp in Muridke on Monday.

Bukhari told reporters that the Punjab cabinet approved the decision to recommend a ban and that video footage and details of violent demonstrations on Multan Road, Lahore, and in Muridke have been sent to the federal government.

The material, she said, shows attacks on law enforcement, damage to public property, and scenes of arson and vandalism.

She said 1,648 police personnel were injured during the violent protests and that a police inspector was killed after being shot 26 times. She warned that accepting the notion that a false allegation can justify killing someone is an extremely dangerous trend that must be stopped.

The minister also criticised profiteering by extremists, saying it is unacceptable for anyone to use religion to amass vast wealth and expensive goods while the state remains a silent spectator.