Pakistan on edge: TLP-police clashes intensify as Saad Hussain Rizvi shot

Pakistan's Muridke remains a battlefield between Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters and law enforcement personnel, with the party claiming that more than 250 of its workers have been killed and more than 1,500 injured so far.

This follows claims from the party that TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was shot multiple times and was critically injured during the intense clashes. No official statement has identified the location of the incident or the identity of the attackers yet.

Rizvi's condition remains serious, and he was taken to a nearby medical centre where he is receiving treatment, a TLP spokesperson added, as per a Bhaskar English report.

Pakistan's Punjab police have since claimed that the TLP protesters at Muridke had been dispersed. Security forces, including the Pakistan Rangers, were said to have used batons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, who had set up camps despite heavy barricades.

The TLP protesters had camped at Muridke since the Punjab police had blocked entry into Islamabad. The TLP party workers had planned to stage a protest in support of Gaza outside the US Embassy in Islamabad.

The TLP protesters, who began demonstrations on October 9, has taken a hardline stand against Israel and in support of Palestine, aligning itself with Hamas and demanding more humanitarian aid for Gaza by the Pakistan government.

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".

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

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