Who is Saad Hussain Rizvi? TLP party chief arrested over anti-Israel protests in Pakistan

Radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was arrested on Friday by Pakistan's Punjab police on Friday, adding to the unrest in the country over the party's anti-Israel protests.

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The arrest comes ahead of TLP's 'Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March', planned for today outside the US Embassy in Pakistan, which has led to the Shehbaz Sharif-led government cutting off internet connectivity in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

This arrest follows Rizvi's arrest in April 2021 under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act (1997), which caused unrest in the country—especially the Punjab province. He was released a week later.

TLP and the Israel-Palestine issue

Rizvi, who is increasingly positioning himself as a disruptive, ideological force in Pakistan's politics, is perhaps best known for framing the Israel-Palestine issue in religious terms.

As a result, the TLP under Rizvi has taken a hardline stand against Israel and in support of Palestine, aligning itself with Hamas and demanding stronger aid relief for Gaza by the Pakistan government.

One of the most prominent instances of Rizvi's anti-Israel stance was at a 2024 sit-in protest in Pakistan's Faizabad, during which he urged that Israeli products be boycotted, that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu be declared a terrorist, and that humanitarian aid be dispatched to Gaza. 

Recent TLP anti-Israel protests

Anti-Israel protests have already taken place in Lahore a day ago, which led to clashes between the Punjab police and TLP party members that left dozens injured.

Enraged TLP supporters reportedly attacked the police with stones and iron rods, which led to police retaliation with tear gas, a Dawn report said.

Pakistan's interior minister Talal Chaudhry has since accused Rizvi and other TLP leaders of making inflammatory speeches, rejecting the need for its "so-called protests, speeches".

“When did the TLP seek permission, when did it give assurances of following SOPs (standard operating procedures),” he questioned, adding that Hamas had already accepted the Gaza peace deal.

"Why do those who want to protest not accept peace?" he said, as per another Dawn report.

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