- Party operates to collect watches, billions of rupees: Azma Bukhari.
- Says they have track record to act as a pressure group for demands.
- Adds TLP takes to streets to engage in violence, disrupt routine life.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has said that the top leadership of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has gone into hiding outside the province following the violent protests, assuring that they will be apprehended soon.
Speaking on Geo Pakistan, Azma said that according to available information, the group’s senior leaders are currently outside Punjab and are adept at going underground to evade arrest.
“Law enforcement agencies are actively working on it, and you will soon receive good news,” the information minister added.
“I would request that we not refer to this extremist group as a political party. They are not a party, but rather a mindset that we must collectively confront as a society.”
She added, “It is neither a political nor a religious party; it has been operating like a project to collect watches and billions of rupees.”
Azma said that it has been revealed that those conducting transactions in the name of religion have been earning interest on those payments. The provincial information minister said that whenever the TLP takes to the streets, it engages in “violence and attempts to disrupt law and order”.
“They have a track record unlike any other group in this country, acting as a pressure group to dictate terms to the state,” she said, and added, “Our leadership is convinced that now is the best time to correct past mistakes.”
Azma said that during dialogue with the TLP aimed at easing tensions, there was no discussion of Gaza or Palestine. She said that the demands were limited to the return of valuables confiscated from residences and compensation for expenses incurred during the marches.
On Thursday, the federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, greenlighted a ban on TLP under the Anti-Terrorism Act following a request from the Punjab government, citing violent protests in the province that left several dead and many injured.
The summary was presented by the Ministry of Interior following a request from the Punjab government. Senior officials from Punjab also attended the meeting via video link.
The meeting was told that the party’s actions had fuelled incidents of chaos and disturbance in various parts of the country.
It was further stated that the previous government had also imposed a ban on the TLP in 2021, which was lifted six months later on the condition that the organisation would refrain from engaging in violent or disruptive activities.
The new ban was imposed after the group violated those assurances.
