Saad Hussain Rizvi, head of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), was arrested by security forces in Lahore, the party leadership confirmed on Monday.
A senior police officer also confirmed to media that Rizvi had been taken into custody by TLP on Monday as a “preventative measure” prior to April 20. So far, no first information report (FIR) has been registered against the TLP-Zentralemir.
After the development, protests broke out in numerous locations in Karachi and other major cities.
In a video message, TLP-Naib-Emir Syed Zaheerul Hassan Shah said the government had “completely deviated from the agreement with TLP on Namoos-i-Risalat“.
Protests:
Lahore
In Lahore, several streets and entry and exit points were closed due to TLP protests. At least three residents confirmed that they were stuck in traffic due to the demonstrations.
Rawalpindi
TLP workers also gathered at the Chowk Committee in Rawalpindi, where they again felled rocks and forced travelers to stop their cars.
Party workers also climbed the Liaquat Bagh subway bus station while traffic closures were reported from across the city.
A traffic jam was also seen on Murree Road, where TLP protesters were chanting slogans.
Islamabad
In the capital, TLP workers violently blocked Uthal Chowk in the Bhara Kahu area. The closure of the Chowk brought the flow of traffic out of Murree to a complete standstill.
The protests also spread to highways and highways. Sections of the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway and the Lahore-Abdul Hakim Motorway were closed, while the National Road (N-5) was closed at 20 locations in different zones.
Government’s Agreements with TLP
Last year dozens of police officers and TLP workers were injured when protesters clashed with police in Rawalpindi.
The riot police had to use tear gas to protest against the protesters who had gathered at the request of former TLP chief Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi to watch the publication of blasphemous cartoons in Charlie Hebdo magazine and the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron about Islam and denounce terrorism.
Police rounded up more than 200 demonstrators prior to the protests. The protesters broke up after an agreement was signed between the government and TLP on November 16, 2020.
The deal reached in February said the government had not yet implemented the terms of the November 2020 agreement.
“Negotiations on this issue have been going on between the Pakistani government and TLP for a month, in which the government reaffirmed its determination. The terms of the [previous] agreement will be presented in parliament by April 20, 2021, and decisions will be made with consent taken by Parliament, “read the agreement.
It also said that the names of TLP members included in the fourth timetable of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) would be removed.