Punjab govt blocks TLP chief's national identity card, freeze assets

  • Rizvi's name has been placed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 under which any individual linked to a proscribed organization can be restricted to limitations on travel, speech, and business
  • TLP has been instructed to submit its income and expenditure for all social and political activities and disclose all its funding sources
18 Apr, 2021

(Karachi) As part of action against the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, the Punjab government has blocked the national identity card of party chief Saad Hussain Rizvi, local media reported on Sunday.

As per details, Rizvi's name has been placed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Under the act, any individual linked to a proscribed organisation can be restricted to limitations on travel, speech, and business.

Besides, money and property owned by the party or Rizvi will be seized or frozen while the assets of his family members will be probed by the Counter-Terrorism Department. In addition, the government has sealed the offices and frozen the accounts of TLP as well.

The banned religious party has been instructed to submit its income and expenditure for all social and political activities and disclose all its funding sources.

Earlier, the government banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan under the Anti-Terrorism Act in wake of the violent protests and deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

On April 12, several highways and busy roads in major cities were blocked by the workers of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan in protest against the arrest of their leader Saad Hussain Rizvi in Lahore.

Protests erupted in major cities across Pakistan after the news of Rizvi’s arrest broke out that led to deadly clashes between the police and TLP activists.

The TLP had demanded of the government to expel the French ambassador and ban the import of goods from that country.

On November 16, the government had reached an agreement with the TLP to involve the parliament to decide the matter in three months. However, the government had expressed its inability to implement the agreement and sought more time. The TLP had agreed to delay its protest by two-and-a-half months to April 20.

Later, the party chief, in a video message, had asked the TLP workers to be ready to launch the long march if the government failed to meet the deadline. It had prompted the government to arrest him.

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