TLP's South Punjab leaders disassociate themselves from banned organisation

Multan (Web Desk): Leaders of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) from South Punjab announced their disassociation from the party on Friday, following the government’s decision to impose a ban on the group.

The move comes in the wake of TLP’s involvement in violent protests and riots, which have drawn widespread criticism.

The Pakistani interior ministry officially notified the ban on TLP last week, citing "reasonable grounds" to believe the party had links to terrorism. According to officials, TLP’s actions had posed a threat to national security, particularly as the country faces external threats from both India and Afghanistan.

One of the dissociating leaders stated, "The Pakistan Army is already under pressure from external enemies, and TLP’s calls for protests and marches only worsened the situation. Our state and military were forced to handle internal unrest at a time when we were also facing foreign threats."

The leader further claimed that the party’s calls for protests during Pakistan's brief military standoff with India in May had inadvertently benefited Pakistan’s adversaries.

He added that TLP’s actions appeared to be helping those opposed to the country’s stability, which led to their decision to part ways with the group.

The decision to distance themselves from TLP also follows a recent video statement from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, expressing support for TLP.

The ban on TLP was imposed just a day after the federal cabinet approved the proposal to proscribe the party under Pakistan's anti-terrorism laws.

The move followed violent nationwide protests related to Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of several protesters and police officers. Major highways and roads, from Karachi to Islamabad, were blocked during the unrest.

Currently, TLP holds a single seat in the Punjab Assembly, represented by Mehmood Ahmad for PP-55 (Narowal-II). The decision to ban the party was made in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with unanimous approval from the federal cabinet.

In its briefing to the cabinet, the interior ministry detailed TLP's violent and terrorist activities, stressing that the party had repeatedly incited disturbances across the country.

The group, which began as a movement in 2015 and became a political party in 2016, was previously banned in 2021 by the PTI government after violent protests.

However, the ban was lifted after six months when the party promised to refrain from violence.

The latest ban, according to the interior ministry, comes as a result of TLP’s failure to honor those commitments.

The situation reflects growing concern over the role of extremist groups in Pakistan’s political sphere, with the government now grappling with how to address the influence of groups like TLP and their potential links to more violent elements, including the TTP.