Pakistan upholds TLP ban, its electoral symbol to be cancelled
Fawad Chaudhry announced the decision on Tuesday
Photo: AFP
Pakistan has extended the ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced Tuesday.
Chaudhry, while briefing the media after a Federal Cabinet meeting, said that the party members had submitted a petition against the ban. We heard their stance, reviewed the reply submitted by the Punjab government and other people.
It was decided that the ban was “based on facts and merit”. The party members had attacked policemen, tortured them, and killed law enforcers; they even damaged public property.
The next plan of action will be to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan and file a petition to get the outlawed group’s electoral symbol, crane, cancelled.
“These steps are being taken under the anti-terrorism act,” Chaudhry added.
Pakistan bans TLP
In April, the government formally proscribed the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.
The government has reasonable grounds to believe that the TLP “engaged in terrorism, acted in a manner prejudicial to the peace and security of the country”, a notification issued by the Interior Ministry stated. The religious group “intimidated the public, caused grievous bodily harm, hurt and death to the personnel of law enforcement agencies and innocent bystanders”, it added.
Read: Pakistan has banned TLP. What will happen next?
The party has been proscribed under section 11B (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. It empowers the government to ban an organization involved in terrorism.
The ban will be placed under Section 11-B of the Ant-Terrorism Act, 1997, which gives the government powers to ban an organization involved or participating in terrorism. Supporters of the religious party took to the streets in April after their chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was arrested.
