Police officials in Pakistan linked TLP members to at least 25 attacks on places of worship, including Christian churches over the past three years.
Newsroom (16/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) A sweeping crackdown on the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) following deadly anti-Israel protests has brought cautious relief to religious minorities, particularly Christians, who have long faced the group’s violent targeting. The operation, centered in Punjab province, has led to over 2,700 arrests, with authorities signaling no immediate end to the campaign.
The arrests follow violent clashes in Lahore, Muridke, and surrounding districts on October 13-14, which claimed at least five lives, including a police officer, and left more than 250 people injured. The TLP, which framed the protests as solidarity with Palestinians, saw its demonstrations spiral into vandalism and road blockades, prompting a robust government response.
An anti-terrorism court remanded 98 TLP members to judicial custody, while 20 others were held for further investigation, local media reported. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari confirmed the operation’s ongoing nature, emphasizing the group’s documented history of hate speech and human rights violations, as noted by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). “These extremists do not believe in human rights,” Bukhari told Dawn newspaper on October 15.
Police officials, cited by Dawn, linked TLP members to at least 25 attacks on places of worship, including Christian churches and Ahmadiyya mosques, over the past three years. The group’s role in the 2023 Jaranwala mob attack, where over 20 churches and dozens of Christian homes were torched amid blasphemy allegations, remains a stark reminder of its influence. Similarly, a 2024 Sargodha incident saw an elderly Christian man beaten to death by a mob after false accusations of Quran desecration.
Samson Salamat, Catholic chairman of Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Religious Tolerance), hailed the crackdown as “long overdue.” Speaking to UCA News on October 16, he said, “It should have been done before. Lots of lives and properties could have been saved.” Salamat urged the government to ban TLP as both a political and religious entity and warned against leniency, fearing extremist networks could regroup, further endangering minorities. “Already churches have become less vocal, there is less open debate, and more self-censorship,” he added.
Naeem Yousaf Gill, executive director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), echoed these concerns, noting that religious minorities remain “anxious.” He pointed to the TLP’s history of fueling violence through baseless blasphemy accusations, citing the Jaranwala and Sargodha attacks. “The ongoing statements against the government and its institutions cannot be justified,” Gill said, suggesting the TLP may have finally exhausted the state’s tolerance.
The TLP’s history reflects a pattern of volatility. Banned in April 2021 under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws after paralyzing cities with blasphemy-related protests, the group was reinstated later that year following negotiations, regaining its political status and electoral eligibility. The current crackdown marks a renewed effort to curb its influence, but skepticism persists among minority leaders.
Bishop Samson Shukardin, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, and Ahmadi community spokespersons declined to comment, reflecting the tense climate surrounding the issue.
As the operation continues, religious minorities wait to see whether this crackdown will deliver lasting security or merely serve as a temporary reprieve. For now, the government’s actions signal a rare confrontation with a group long accused of stoking division in Pakistan’s fragile social fabric.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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