The Pakistani government has once again moved to outlaw the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a hardline Islamist political party notorious for its disruptive street protests and violent confrontations with law enforcement. The decision, announced on October 24, 2025, by the Ministry of Interior, follows a unanimous cabinet approval a day earlier and comes in the wake of deadly clashes during a recent anti-Israel rally.
According to The Express Tribune, the federal government acted under Section 11B (1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, declaring that there were “reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is connected and involved in terrorism.” The notification orders the party’s listing as a proscribed organization, marking the second time in just four years that TLP has faced such a ban.
The cabinet meeting that sealed TLP’s fate was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, with senior Punjab officials joining remotely. The Punjab government had formally requested the ban after a high-profile incident on October 13, 2025, when TLP’s so-called Gaza March in Muridke spiraled into chaos. Police and Rangers, attempting to disperse the crowd, encountered fierce resistance. In the violence that followed, one station house officer (SHO) was killed, 48 law enforcement personnel were injured—17 of them by gunfire—while three TLP workers and a bystander lost their lives. At least 30 civilians were also wounded in the melee, as reported by The Express Tribune.
“Since 2016, this organisation has fuelled agitation nationwide,” officials briefed the cabinet, highlighting that previous TLP-led demonstrations had resulted in the deaths of security personnel and bystanders alike. The group’s Gaza March, intended as a protest outside the US Embassy in Islamabad in solidarity with Palestinians, quickly devolved into violence. Protesters set vehicles ablaze, and after failed negotiations, authorities launched a six-hour operation to regain control, leading to mass arrests and a further escalation of tensions.
The radical Sunni Muslim group, which began as a movement in 2015 and was formalized as a political party a year later, has made blasphemy its central rallying cry. According to Reuters, TLP’s “huge and often violent street protests have caused big problems for many Pakistani governments.” The party’s notoriety is rooted not only in its uncompromising stance on blasphemy but also in its repeated willingness to confront the state through force.
This is not the first time TLP has faced a government ban. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, led by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, outlawed the party on April 15, 2021, after a series of violent protests. However, the ban was revoked on November 7 that same year, after TLP leaders agreed to cease violent activities. The current ban, announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office, signals a return to the hardline approach, prompted by TLP’s apparent failure to abide by its earlier commitments.
Under Pakistan’s legal framework, the government’s authority to ban political parties is derived from both the Anti-Terrorism Act and Article 17 of the Constitution. While citizens have the right to form political parties, clause (2) of Article 17 allows the federal cabinet to ban a party if it is found to be foreign-funded or considered a threat to national security. In this case, the government has acted under the Anti-Terrorism Act, not the Elections Act or Article 17, as legal expert Reema Omer pointed out on social media. She noted, “The Govt has proscribed TLP under ATA, not the Elections Act/Art 17 of the Constitution. There is no indication yet that the Govt also plans on dissolving TLP as a political party by making a declaration under Elections Act/Art 17 and referring the matter to the SC.”
Following the government’s declaration, the Ministry of Interior is legally obliged to file a reference with the Supreme Court within 15 days. The court’s decision on this reference will be final. If the Supreme Court upholds the government’s case, all public representatives belonging to TLP will have their memberships immediately suspended, and the party will be formally declared proscribed.
The crackdown on TLP goes beyond legal measures. The high-level meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz resolved that TLP leaders and workers involved in the death of police officers and destruction of public property would be tried in anti-terrorism courts (ATCs). The leadership was also placed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, a designation that brings with it stringent monitoring and restrictions. In a sweeping move, all properties and assets of the party are to be handed over to the Auqaf Department, a government body responsible for managing religious endowments. A complete ban on TLP’s posters, banners, and advertisements was imposed, and the party’s social media accounts were ordered blocked. In addition, TLP’s bank accounts were frozen and authorities warned of strict action for any violation of the Loudspeaker Act.
The decision to outlaw TLP again has reignited debate over the state’s approach to managing religious extremism and political dissent. While some government officials and security analysts argue that the ban is necessary to curb violence and protect public order, others caution that past bans have proven ineffective or even counterproductive. The first ban in 2021 was short-lived, with the government eventually lifting restrictions in exchange for promises of non-violence—promises that, critics say, were never truly kept.
Still, the government’s latest move is seen by many as a decisive response to a group that has repeatedly tested the limits of state authority. The violent clashes in Muridke, which left both security personnel and civilians dead and injured, underscored the risks of allowing TLP’s confrontational tactics to go unchecked. As Reuters reported, the group’s “huge and often violent street protests” have long been a thorn in the side of successive Pakistani administrations.
For now, the fate of TLP as a political entity hangs in the balance, pending the Supreme Court’s review. If the ban is upheld, it would mark a significant step in Pakistan’s ongoing struggle to balance religious activism, political freedoms, and national security. The government’s decision to freeze assets, block social media, and pursue legal action against TLP leaders signals a broader strategy to dismantle the party’s organizational infrastructure and deter future unrest.
Whether these measures will bring lasting peace or merely drive the movement underground remains to be seen. What’s clear is that the government, faced with mounting violence and public disorder, has chosen to draw a hard line—one that could reshape the country’s political and religious landscape for years to come.