Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan rally disrupts normal life in Lahore

Violent clashes erupted on Friday between police and supporters of Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Lahore after security forces tried to stop thousands of demonstrators from leaving for the capital, Islamabad, where they planned to stage a pro-Palestinian rally outside the US embassy, officials said.

The violence has disrupted daily life in parts of Lahore, as residents struggled to reach home because of road closures and continued clashes.

On Friday, authorities shut schools, colleges and universities in Lahore, a city of more than 14 million people.

The government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has suspended mobile internet service in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi as part of measures aimed at preventing demonstrators from reaching the national capital.

At least three police constables were injured in clashes with enraged TLP supporters, who attacked law enforcers with stones and iron rods. Police responded with tear-gas shelling, turning Multan Road of Lahore into a battleground.

Videos shared on social media showed the TLP activists running as police fired tear gas. Other clips showed TLP activists holding up spent bullet casings and tear gas shells.

In anticipation of the protest, the Islamabad administration has also begun placing shipping containers at Faizabad Interchange — the historic site of several TLP sit-ins.

In a statement, the TLP claimed that two of its supporters had been killed and 50 others injured since Thursday. There was no immediate comment from the Punjab provincial government, which is headed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the niece of the prime minister.

The protest comes after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Speaking to thousands of worshippers in Lahore at Friday prayers, TLP chief Saad Rizvi announced the march, saying, “We will now march from Lahore to the US embassy” in Islamabad.

He said: “I will walk at the head of the long march. Arrest is not a problem, bullets are not a problem, shells are not a problem — martyrdom is our destiny.”

The US embassy in Islamabad issued a security alert ahead of the march, warning of possible disruptions and urging American citizens to exercise caution.