Christians in Pakistan have expressed cautious relief following last week’s massive crackdown on Islamic extremist political parties that have committed violence against Christians and other religious minorities.
The Punjab government launched a major pre-dawn operation on October 13 to quell potentially violent protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) and stop the Gaza Solidarity march. Calling the recent US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas a “conspiracy to subjugate the Palestinian people,” the TLP departed from Lahore with the aim of reaching the federal capital, Islamabad, and holding a protest in front of the US embassy.
At least one police officer was killed and dozens of others injured, some seriously, in clashes with protesters, the Punjab Police said in a statement. Although the statement claimed that only three TLP members were killed, TLP-related social media outlets claimed that hundreds of members died as a result of police actions.
The police raid was carried out in Muridke, about 50 kilometers from Lahore, where the protesters were camping overnight. Following the security operation against the TLP, Punjab government authorities announced that they had detained more than 2,700 people and placed a further 2,800 on an “exit control” list, barring them from leaving the country.
The government also sealed off the party’s headquarters in Lahore, as well as more than 60 party-affiliated mosques and madrassas in several cities. However, TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi and his brother Anas Hussain Rizvi have evaded arrest and are said to be hiding in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said in a statement that the provincial government had also submitted a brief to the federal government seeking to ban extremist political parties, but did not name the TLP.
“Those who incite violence, spread hatred, or violate the law will be subject to immediate arrest (under the proposed ban),” the statement said. “Leaders of extremist parties will be placed in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act.”
The Fourth Schedule is a list of individuals banned on suspicion of terrorism and sectarianism under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws.
“All properties and assets of extremist political parties will be handed over to Awqaf District of Punjab. Posters, banners and advertisements of extremist political parties will be completely prohibited,” the statement added.
It also said “all bank accounts” of the party would be frozen and the party’s social media accounts that spread hatred would be deleted. The Punjab government also stated that “strict action will be taken against violations of the Loudspeaker Act.”
The TLP became famous for its fervent support of Mumtaz Qadri, the constable who shot and killed Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011 for expressing sympathy for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.
The party continued to mobilize around the issue of Muslim imports, with the first large-scale protests taking place in November 2017. It later staged similar, often violent protests in 2020 and 2021 over the publication of cartoons deemed blasphemous, during which several police officers were killed.
The federal government had earlier imposed a ban on TLP in April 2021 based on the Punjab government’s recommendation under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban was rescinded in November at the request of the Punjab government, days after an agreement was reached with the group to halt a violent protest march to Islamabad.
Temporary restrictions were also imposed during the TLP’s long march from Lahore to Islamabad in June 2023. Restrictions lifted under the agreement reached on June 17, 2023 included a ban on party coverage on electronic and social media.
As with the TLP, the state government can request a ban on the parties. The federal government then has the power to refer the request to the Supreme Court, pursuant to Article 17(2) of the Constitution, by declaring that the party is “organized or operating in a manner that prejudices the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan.”
According to the constitution, the final decision to ban political parties rests with the Supreme Court.
The same article states: “Within 15 days of such declaration, the Federal Government shall refer the matter to the Supreme Court, and the decision of the Supreme Court on such referral shall be final.”
“Long awaited action”
Christian rights activists welcomed the government’s crackdown on the party, saying it was “long overdue.”
The rise of the TLP led to a surge in attacks on churches, other places of worship, and cemeteries, as well as incidents of desecration against Christians and Ahmadis across the country. In August 2023, hundreds of TLP members looted and destroyed several church buildings and homes of Christians after two Christians were accused of blasphemy in Jaranwala, Faisalabad district, Punjab state.
In June 2024, party members lynched Nazir Masih Gil, an elderly Christian, in Sargodha, falsely accusing him of burning the Quran. The mob also set fire to Christian’s home and a shoe factory owned by his family.
“The TLP’s main agenda since its inception has been violence in the name of blasphemy laws,” said a Christian lawyer who represents several people falsely accused of blasphemy. “They publicly chanted the slogan, “Separate the heads of blasphemers from their bodies,” and even threatened with the death penalty judges and government officials who spoke out against abuses of the (blasphemy) law. The party instilled such fear in the judiciary that many judges rejected appeals from blasphemy convicts.”
The lawyer, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, said the TLP had never been held responsible for the violence and praised the Punjab government for taking a firm stand against the militants.
“In past protests, the TLP has often committed violence against police officers and several police officers have been killed during various protests,” he said. “This time, with the full support of the state, the police had the opportunity to investigate the party.”
Samson Salamat, chairman of Rwadari Tehreek, or Equality Movement, told Christian Daily International Morning Star News that strict action should have been taken against TLP long ago.
“However, the country must not show any flexibility at this stage and ensure that extremist parties and groups like the TLP are not allowed to re-emerge,” he said. “Previous attempts to rein in the TLP have resulted in the group becoming stronger and carrying out religiously motivated attacks with greater impunity. We hope that this time the government learns from its experience and is not intimidated into making concessions.”
Pakistan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List as the most difficult place to be a Christian.
