Pakistan’s government has once again moved decisively against Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a radical Islamist party whose repeated eruptions of street violence have tested the state’s resolve and patience for nearly a decade. On October 23, 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet unanimously approved a ban on the TLP under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, following a week of deadly clashes between TLP supporters and police in Punjab province. The move, as reported by The Economic Times and AP, comes after the party’s latest protest march ended in bloodshed, reviving longstanding concerns about the group’s influence and the government’s capacity to curb religious extremism.
The immediate trigger for the ban was a protest march launched by the TLP on October 11, 2025, in Lahore. The party, founded in 2016 and infamous for its hardline defense of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, described the demonstration as a "Gaza solidarity" march. The group pledged to reach Islamabad and protest outside the U.S. embassy, expressing support for Palestinians amid ongoing conflict in Gaza. However, the march never made it past Muridke, a town about 60 kilometers from Lahore. There, on October 13, police forcibly dispersed the crowd in a confrontation that quickly turned violent.
According to statements from Punjab police and government officials cited by The Economic Times, the clashes left at least 16 dead—including police officers—and more than 1,600 injured. Other sources, such as AP and The New York Times, put the death toll at five, with one police officer, three TLP protesters, and a passerby killed, and dozens more wounded. The violence was particularly severe, with police reporting that TLP marchers hurled gasoline bombs, wielded spiked batons, and opened fire on officers, who responded in kind.
Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz quickly convened a meeting on October 16, just days after the violence, to propose outlawing the TLP. The provincial government’s request was presented to the federal cabinet, which, as the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed, "unanimously" approved the ban. The government justified its decision by citing the TLP’s "violent and terrorist activities" and its history of reneging on promises to renounce violence. "This organisation, established in 2016, has incited violence across the country. Due to the organisation, incidents of violence have occurred in different parts of the country," read the official statement from the cabinet meeting.
This is not the first time Pakistan has tried to rein in the TLP. The party was previously banned in April 2021 after violent protests erupted over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in France. That ban, however, lasted only six months. It was lifted in November 2021 after TLP leaders assured the government they would refrain from further unrest—a pledge that, as recent events show, was not honored. The government now argues that the TLP’s return to violence has voided any previous guarantees and necessitated a renewed crackdown.
Legal procedures require that the federal government refer the ban to Pakistan’s Supreme Court within 15 days for endorsement. Only after the court’s confirmation does the group become officially proscribed. In the meantime, authorities wasted little time moving against the TLP’s infrastructure. Punjab’s Auqaf Department assumed control of all TLP mosques and seminaries, and police sealed 61 religious schools linked to the group. The government also froze the party’s bank accounts, shuttered its offices, and suspended licenses for 28 arms dealers. No new arms licenses will be issued in the province, according to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari.
Law enforcement has acted swiftly and broadly. Over 6,000 TLP activists have been arrested following the clashes, and the Federal Investigation Agency’s anti-cybercrime unit detained 107 social media activists for inflammatory posts, blocking 75 accounts. Minister Bokhari told reporters, "The government has identified 3,600 financial backers of the TLP both inside and outside the country," and indicated that weapons seized from police by the TLP in 2021 were used again during the recent violence. She emphasized the government’s resolve: "The writ of the state is supreme and there will be no compromise on the protection of citizens' lives and property."
The whereabouts of TLP’s leader, Saad Rizvi, and his brother remain unknown. Police suspect Rizvi may have fled to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while the party claims it lost contact with him hours after the police crackdown began. Authorities are conducting raids in an effort to apprehend him, and terror charges are being filed against members involved in attacks on police.
The TLP’s rise has been rapid and controversial. The party gained prominence in the 2018 general elections by campaigning on the single issue of defending Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty for insults to Islam. Its leaders’ sermons draw large crowds, particularly in Punjab, the country’s most populous province. Critics, as noted by The New York Times, argue that the TLP exploits blasphemy laws to silence dissent, pressure the government, and whip up religious fervor that can easily spill over into violence.
Unsurprisingly, the government’s latest ban has drawn sharp criticism from some quarters. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite being imprisoned on corruption charges, posted on social media: "To use violence against unarmed people and open fire on them is completely unacceptable." The TLP itself has rejected the ban, calling it "unconstitutional and politically motivated." The party’s supporters claim that police opened fire on "unarmed" protesters, killing dozens and injuring thousands, though official figures are lower. The state, meanwhile, insists that it will make it impossible for anyone who takes up arms against the government to operate freely.
Analysts see this crackdown as a sign of consensus among Pakistan’s security agencies and political leadership that the TLP’s street power has become untenable. Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies in Islamabad, told The New York Times, "They are banning it, freezing its assets, isolating it from the rest of the religious community, and probably creating rifts within its ranks." Yet, as history has shown, banning the TLP is easier said than done. The party has a knack for bouncing back, often with greater zeal and larger crowds.
For now, a ban on rallies remains in place to guard against further unrest. The government’s actions—seizing assets, arresting activists, and pursuing the party’s leadership—underscore the seriousness with which it views the TLP threat. But whether this latest effort will finally contain the group, or merely drive it underground until the next eruption, remains an open question for Pakistan’s fragile democracy.