TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi’s CNIC blocked, assets seized

The Punjab government has blocked the national identity card of the chief of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, Saad Hussain Rizvi.

A notification issued by the Punjab Home Department on Sunday stated that the leader’s name has been placed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

According to the act, any individual linked to a proscribed organisation can be restricted to limitations on travel, speech, and business. Here are the things Rizvi has been instructed to do as long as the order remains in force:

• Execute a band for his good behavior and not get involved in any act of terrorism
• Not in any manner advance the objectives of the organisation (TLP) with one or more sureties not less than Rs500,000
• Submit his passport to the police
• Take permission from the police before leaving his house and inform them about his whereabouts
• Report himself as and when required to the police station
• Money and property owned by the party or Rizvi will be seized or frozen
• The assets of his family members will be probed by the Counter-Terrorism Department
• His activities will be monitored and kept under surveillance

Under Section 11E of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, the government has sealed the offices and frozen the accounts of TLP as well. All literature, posters, banners or printed, electronic, digital, and other material have been seized.

TLP has been instructed to submit its income and expenditure for all social and political activities and disclose all its funding sources.

In a meeting of the Punjab Home Department on Saturday, it was suggested that the TLP chief’s and five other party supporter’s names should be placed on the Exit Control List. A request regarding the matter has been sent to the Interior Ministry.

The government banned the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan earlier this week for engaging in terrorism and creating a sense of fear and insecurity in the country.

Following this, the National Counter Terrorism Authority recommended the government to take over madrassas operated by the party and crack down on its sources of funding.

Pakistan bans TLP

On Thursday, 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.

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 earlier this week after their chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was arrested.

Who is Saad Rizvi?

Saad Rizvi, Allama Rizvi’s 26-year-old son, was chosen to lead the party by its 18-member shura. He has been active in the party for the past few years, serving as its deputy secretary-general. He used to stay in touch with reporters and made the party presence felt on social media.

According to his friend Salman, Saad is a student of Darja-e-Aaliya of Dars-e-Nizami. He is studying at his father’s Abuzar Ghaffari seminary.

“He is a smart man with a deep interest in books,” said Salman. “Unlike other madrassa students, Saad knows the importance of social media and used it to spread his father’s message.”

The TLP and its members had accounts on Facebook but they knew nothing about Twitter, said, Salman. Saad knew that the microblogging site was a very important platform and believed that the party should have a presence on it because the mainstream media wasn’t giving them coverage.

“He visited several madrassas and explained Twitter and its use to the students,” his friend said. “Now, you can see TLP trends on Twitter.”

Saad is popular among young party workers and also worked as a bridge between them and Allama Rizvi, according to his friend.