ATC grants post-arrest bail to 40 TLP workers

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore has granted post-arrest bail to 40 workers of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), it was reported on Monday.

Approving the bail plea of TLP activists, the court directed them to furnish a surety bond of Rs100,000 each. The workers, who were in jail on judicial custody, submitted bail pleas through their lawyers.

The cases against the TLP workers were registered with different police stations on charges of resorting to violent protests and attacking police teams.

A few days ago, the government removed the name of TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi's name from the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Govt removes name of TLP chief Saad Rizvi from Fourth Schedule

Saad Rizvi’s name was placed in the Fourth Schedule on April 16, 2021. The federal government also removed the name of TLP from the list of proscribed organisations on the recommendation of the Punjab provincial government.

The Punjab government recommended to the Interior Ministry to remove the TLP from the list of proscribed organizations and stated that provincial government had implemented the points of agreement and released 2,100 TLP workers and removed the name of its over 500 workers from the fourth schedule.

Following the April clashes in which TLP activists blocked highways, railways, and access routes to cities and battled police, the authorities arrested their leader, Saad Hussain Rizvi, and banned the TLP.

TLP withdraws demand of French envoy's expulsion after successful negotiations with govt

Authorities had been trying to negotiate with the TLP, which rallied its supporters outside its Lahore headquarters, but negotiations broke down and the TLP called on supporters from around Pakistan to converge on the capital Islamabad.

The main arteries to and from Lahore and Islamabad were blocked with shipping containers to prevent demonstrators from entering the city. The diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, where most foreign embassies are located, was also blocked off.