Islamabad: The Pakistan government will not tolerate any form of violence and react strongly against those who challenge the writ of the state, officials said on Thursday.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said that the banned “TLP has crossed the red line and exhausted the state’s patience,” adding that they have “martyred policemen, destroyed public property, and continue to cause massive public disruption.”
The “law will take its course for each one of them and terrorists will be treated like terrorists with no leniency. There will be no armed militias of any sort” in Pakistan. “The state will never shy away from protecting each and every citizen from any form of violence,” he said.
The stern warning by the government official came after Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activists refused to cease violent protests that entered its second week on Thursday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has also convened the meeting of the National Security Committee, the country’s highest forum for coordination on security, on October 29 to discuss the strategy to deal with the banned TLP and other issues.
Protests continue
Thousands of TLP supporters continued their protest towards Islamabad and reached Gujranwala, 200 km from the capital, on Thursday. The protest is continuing after violent clashes between the protesters and police that left at least six people dead, including four policemen, and injured 250 others.
The party announced to continue the demonstration after the Pakistan government said it would not accept their demand to expel the French envoy. The Islamist group is demanding the release of their jailed leader Saad Rizvi and the expulsion of France’s ambassador over depictions of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in France.
Following the violent protests and killing, the government declared TLP a “militant group.” Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government had decided to treat TLP as a militant group since its activists had killed policemen.
The government has also deployed paramilitary troops to restore law and order. Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on October 27 announced deploying paramilitary rangers in Punjab province for two months and asked demonstrators to end the protest to avoid any government action.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed officials to take every step possible to restore peace in the province and said that “the protection of people’s lives and properties is the state’s foremost responsibility.”