2,135 people arrested during protests, sit-ins, says Interior Ministry

A report released by the Interior Ministry shows the number of people detained by the police and other concerned agencies for disturbing the peace.

According to a report, the highest number of 1,669 arrests was made in Punjab while 228 people were arrested in Sindh.

A report released by the Home Ministry stated that 193 people were arrested from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 45 from the federal capital Islamabad while anti-terrorism cases have been registered against those arrested.

During the sit-ins and protest, demonstrators in clashes with riot policemen were also killed.

Earlier, The federal government had decided to impose a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Wednesday.

While addressing a presser, the interior minister said that the decision has been taken under the anti-terror law at the request of the Punjab government

“Considering the recent violent activities including the abduction of policemen and destroying of public property, the government decided to ban TLP under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, (11) B,” he said.

Sheikh Rasheed further stated that two police officers were martyred while more than 300 suffered injuries as a result of protests by TLP.

“The TLP members also held several police officers as a hostage to pressurize the government,” he said adding that no case registered against TLP men will be taken back. A detailed summary will be forwarded to the federal cabinet to ban the party,” he said.

On Monday, the demonstrations were sparked by the arrest of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leader Saad Rizvi in Lahore on unspecified charges.

The protestors blocked several roads of major cities including Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi causing massive jams. Clashes between police and demonstrators were also reported from Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and several other cities where police officials fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters, who fought back in some places by pelting stones at police officers.

Injuries to protesters and police officers were also reported from several cities.

Most highways, which were blocked earlier, had reopened on Tuesday, although limited road closures continued to affect the capital Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi.