Muridke | Pakistan

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari claimed on Tuesday that three civilians were killed during the operation in Muridke that dispersed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters. The TLP, which began a protest march in Lahore earlier this month, was planning to reach Islamabad and stage a demonstration in support of Gaza and Palestine outside the US embassy. The march and sit-in, which reached Muridke, quickly turned into violent clashes between protesters and police before the protesters were dispersed, leading to a crackdown on the party and its supporters. Addressing a press conference in Lahore today, the Punjab information minister said “false stories” were being perpetuated about the operation in Muridke. “Three civilians were martyred in Muridke. These were people who were passing by or standing off to the side,” she said, adding that 48 civilians and 110 police officers were also injured. Eighteen out of 110 have sustained firearm injuries, she said. The minister also said that police vans had b...

Police have arrested 57 people in a crackdown against individuals accused of spreading unrest and propaganda on social media following the recent Muridke protest.

LAHORE - At least five people including one Station House Officer (SHO) were killed and dozens others injured, some critically, as clashes erupted between police and thousands of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters marching in support of Palestinians in Muridke on Monday, police sources and witnesses said.

• Dozens arrested, several injured as armoured vehicles, water cannon used to disperse charged crowd • Police say inspector martyred; around 50 cops badly injured in violent clashes • Conflicting reports emerge about fate of TLP chief; IGP says Saad Rizvi ‘not in custody’ • Second-tier leaders call on TLP supporters to converge on Lahore for protest on 17th LAHORE: The fate of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi remained shrouded in mystery after law enforcement agencies launched a sweeping pre-dawn operation on Monday to dismantle the religious party’s protest camp in Muridke, triggering violent clashes, widespread chaos and dozens of arrests. The operation, which began around 3:30am, quickly spiralled into one of the most serious confrontations between police and TLP in recent months, continuing for nearly six hours. According to officials, some 1,500 police personnel in full anti-riot gear, supported by four armoured personnel carriers and water cannons, surrounded the protest camp along the ...

Normalcy returned to the twin cities on Monday evening, with traffic flow restored after an early morning operation by law enforcers against Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters who had camped at Muridke, according to police. A Dawn.com correspondent reported that only the Faizabad Interchange remained closed while the rest of the intersections between Rawalpindi and Islamabad were open for traffic. He said that the situation was returning to normal and there was no serious reaction from the religious party, adding that overall traffic was thin on the major thoroughfares. Mobile data services, impacted since the start of the protest, were also restored in most areas of the twin cities, added the correspondent. Earlier, authorities had moved to close roads and motorways again in and around Lahore and Islamabad — which had started reopening on Sunday — after the operation, as panic spread among citizens about the potential outcome of the clash. Meanwhile, some schools in Islamabad also closed earlier tha...

Authorities on Sunday opened multiple roads across Punjab as Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters continued their sit-ins in Muridke and Sadhoke for the third consecutive day, continuing attempts to reach Islamabad to stage a protest in ‘solidarity with Palestinians’. The M1 motorway connects Peshawar to Islamabad, while the M2 motorway connects Lahore to Islamabad and the M3 motorway links Lahore to Abdul Hakeem in Khanewal district, where it joins the M4 leading to Faisalabad and Multan. A day ago, the main TLP procession reached Muridke after breaking through police security, hours after violent clashes in Lahore left over four dozen police personnel injured. The marchers then staged a sit-in at Muridke, blocked by trenches dug along the GT Road. In an update on Sunday evening, motorway police issued an alert stating that the Sialkot Motorway was now open, but that the roads going from Chowk Yateem to Scheme Morr and Babu Sabu remained closed. Earlier, authorities reopened the M1, M2 and M3 motorway...

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) supporters have camped at Muridke for the night as they continued attempts to reach Islamabad to stage a protest in ‘solidarity with Palestinians’. Punjab Police, in an attempt to stop the march towards the federal capital, have reportedly dug a trench on the road. Earlier in the day, clashes between supporters of the religious party and police were reported in the Shahdara area of Lahore earlier today. At least 40 police personnel have been injured today, while the TLP claims that more than 10 of its workers have been killed in clashes with law enforcers. TLP began its protests in Lahore on Thursday and announced plans to march to the US embassy in Islamabad to voice its opposition to the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after two years of conflict in Gaza. The demonstrations turned violent on Friday, with police launching baton charges and firing tear gas at protesters who had pelted them with rocks, AFP journalists saw. Arrests in Karachi Police in Karachi arr...

• Four missiles struck Jamia Masjid Ummul Qura in Muridke, killing three civilians • 13 people, including two girls, martyred in Subhan mosque strike • Funeral of Bahawalpur victims held at Dring Stadium LAHORE: Tensions between India and Pakistan have intensified after a series of Indian air and drone strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 31 Pakistani civilians, with many others injured, including 16 martyred only in Muridke and Bahawalpur. As many as three civilians were kil­led when four Indian missiles struck Jamia Masjid Ummul Qura and an ad­­joining house in Muridke, some 40 kilometres from Lahore. The decea­sed were identified as Abdul Malik (from Jhang), Mohammad Alam (Samundri), and Midasar (Chunian). Two others were injured and shif­ted to local hospitals. Sources said that the area had reportedly been evacuated earlier due to warnings of a possible strike, which helped reduce further casualties. The mosque was des­troyed and local authorities later arr­a­­­nged visits for both international an...