'Punjab govt takes control of 330 TLP mosques, freezes 3,800 accounts linked to group's funding network'

Lahore (Web Desk): Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that the government’s crackdown against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is underway and that the group’s chief, Saad Rizvi, will soon be brought under the law.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, she revealed that the provincial government has taken administrative control of 330 mosques affiliated with the TLP. She clarified, however, that no mosque is being demolished nor is any grave being relocated.

According to Bokhari, authorities have also collected complete records of 223 seminaries, six of which were built on government land. She added that the TLP had been receiving financial support from 3,800 individuals, whose bank accounts have now been frozen.

The minister further disclosed that during a recent raid at Saad Rizvi’s residence, law enforcement recovered 1.92 kilograms of gold, 889 grams of silver, and 69 luxury watches. She dismissed rumors of a “bloodbath” in Muridke as fabricated, saying the story was “a piece of fiction meant to stir unrest.”

Bokhari stated that the recent violent protests organized by the TLP resulted in the death of three civilians and injuries to 48 people, including 18 police officers. She added that eight police vehicles were torched by the mob.

Condemning the group’s actions, Bokhari remarked that “some of TLP’s activities amount to inciting chaos and terrorism,” adding that “terrorism and anarchy are two sides of the same coin.”