Workers of banned TLP ‘brutally tortured’ DSP, took 5 policemen hostage: police official

Workers of the recently proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) “brutally tortured” a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and took him, as well as four other officials, hostage on Sunday, spokesperson for Lahore CCPO Rana Arif told a private source.

Police said the violence occurred after “miscreants” — an apparent reference to TLP workers — attacked a police station and abducted the DSP, adding that it acted only in “self-defence”.

“Today in the early morning, miscreants attacked Nawankot Police Station where Rangers and Police officers were trapped inside the police station and DSP Nawankot kidnapped and taken to the markaz,” the Punjab police said in a statement.

It added that “at least one oil tanker with 50,000 litres of petrol has been taken by the miscreants to the markaz.”

According to the statement, which was tweeted by Punjab police while replying to journalist Hamid Mir, the miscreants were armed and attacked Rangers/police with petrol bombs.

“Police and Rangers pushed them back and took back the possession of the police station,” it said, adding that police did not plan or conduct any operation against the mosque or the madressah.

“The action, if any, was in self-defence and to protect public property.”

Arif said 11 police officials were injured after “brutal torture” by TLP workers and were under treatment at different hospitals in the city.

Meanwhile, at least three protesters were killed and several others injured during the clash, according to the party’s workers.

A TLP spokesperson said the clash started when police launched an operation to clear the area around Lahore’s Yateem Khana Chowk, where workers of the banned party have been staging a protest since earlier this week.

In a video message, TLP spokesperson Shafiq Ameeni said that “[We] will bury [those killed] when the French ambassador exits the country and our agreement (with the government) is implemented.”

Videos on social media showed people carrying away the injured and tending to them. However, some users pointed out that the videos were old and were shared without context.

TLP workers wielding sticks and stones also climbed atop the Orange Line Metro Train, while speeches were being made through the area mosque to call people for support, according to the city police spokesperson. He said the protesters were pelting stones at law-enforcement personnel.

The TLP also shared a video of a senior official of Punjab police, who was allegedly abducted by its workers on Sunday. The injured police official, assumedly under duress, said that an operation was being carried out to clear the area outside a police station when he was “captured” by the “enraged” crowd.

یہ 2014 میں سانحہ ماڈل ٹاؤن لاہور کی ویڈیو نہیں ہے بلکہ یہ 2021 میں ماہ رمضان کے دوران آج چوک یتیم خانہ لاہور کی ویڈیو ہے جس کی خبر الیکٹرانک میڈیا سے غائب ہے کیونکہ میڈیا پر پابندی ہے لوگ ہمیں لاشوں کی ویڈیوز بھجوا رہے ہیں ہم صرف اپیل کر سکتے ہیں کہ رمضان میں خونریزی نہ کریں pic.twitter.com/EoUTWXEmHY

— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) April 18, 2021

He said that three people were killed and several others sustained bullet wounds, appealing for a way forward through dialogue.

The TLP was formally banned by the federal government earlier this week after its supporters staged three days of violent protests across the country, resulting in deaths and injuries to several policemen.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad later in the day, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the situation in the area around Yateem Khana Chowk was “tense”, adding that the government would take a decision on disbanding the TLP.

“If [TLP] has to be disbanded, the law ministry and Attorney General [of Pakistan] will be working on this and a reference will be filed.”

When asked whether any negotiations were taking place between the TLP and the government, Rashid replied in the negative.

Violent protests

During the three days of countrywide protests, hundreds of protesters and police personnel were injured and thousands of TLP activists and supporters were arrested and booked for attacking law enforcement personnel and blocking main roads and highways in protest against the arrest of their leader Allama Saad Hussain Rizvi.

On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan also lauded the services of police for dealing with the “organised violence” perpetrated by the protesters.

In a tweet, the premier also announced that the government would look after the families of the four police personnel martyred during the violence.

“I want to pay special tribute to our police force for their heroic stand against organised violence intended to create chaos to blackmail [the] government,” he wrote, noting that four policemen were martyred and more than 600 injured during the unrest.

I want to pay special tribute to our police force for their heroic stand against organised violence intended to create chaos to blackmail govt. 4 policemen were martyred & over 600 injured. Our nation is indebted to these heroes & we will look after the families of the martyrs.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 16, 2021