Violent Clashes Erupt in Pakistan’s Muridke, Four Dead, 56 Injured During TLP March | World News

At least four people, including police and civilians, were killed and 56 others were injured during violent clashes linked to a long march by the radical Islamist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Muridke, Pakistan, on Monday, local media reported.

Following the violence that broke out during the march, Pakistani police and village guards launched an operation to disperse TLP supporters. Protesters reportedly hurled rocks, used nail-studded sticks, and tear gas canisters, and then opened fire indiscriminately, causing casualties among both law enforcement personnel and civilians.

In violent clashes, 48 ​​police officers and guards were injured, 17 of them as a result of armed attacks. Additionally, three TLP supporters and a passerby were killed and eight civilians were injured, according to Pakistan-based newspaper The Express Tribune.

Reports suggest that as many as 170 people, including workers, civil servants and activists associated with the TLP, were arrested by Pakistani law enforcement in three districts in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The arrests made under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Act (MPO) included 69 people in Pakpattan, 42 in Sahiwal and 50 in Punjab’s Okara districts.

The Pakistani city of Lahore was rocked by violent protests and deadly clashes over the weekend as the TLP clashed with Pakistani police after its march towards the capital was stopped for holding a large pro-Palestinian demonstration.

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies including Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) and large police forces from five districts were sent to Muridke in Punjab early on Sunday. They reportedly laid siege to the TLP protest camp, in what appeared to be a step towards a full-scale crackdown.

On the other hand, police officers have been put on high alert against possible emergencies, while senior police officials in Lahore have been instructed to remain on duty until final orders.

Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper, citing a police source from the Punjab province, reported that the decision to increase the number of police officers on duty was taken after a high-level meeting held on Saturday night.

During the meeting, officials were informed that violent TLP supporters had repeatedly attacked police facilities at Shahdara in Lahore, taking 18 official motorcycles from a station compound and causing serious damage to infrastructure.

It was also reported that the gang seized state vehicles at gunpoint and used them for illegal activities.

Some Lahore police officers were reported missing amid the clashes in Shahdara, raising concerns that they may have been abducted.

TLP, a group famous for its radical character and attitudes, was accused by netizens of organizing and staging violence in the streets despite the peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, and was also subjected to intense criticism on social media.