LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday granted bail to several leaders of proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in several cases registered against them.
The hearings on the bail applications were conducted in courtrooms 1 and 3 of the ATC by Judge Ijaz Ahmed Butter and Judge Hussain Bhutta, respectively. The court directed all the TLP leaders to submit bail bonds of Rs100,000 each.
Those who were granted bail included Maulana Farooqul Hassan, Ghulam Ghaus Baghdadi, Pir Zahirul Hassan, Maulana Sharifuddin, Engineer Hafeezullah Alvi, Maulana Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Badar Munir, Qari Ashraf, Mohammad Akbar, Muzaffar Hussain, Mohammad Umar and Muzammil Hussain.
Cases were registered against the TLP leaders at different police stations in Lahore under sections related to terrorism, following the latest round of violence in the provincial capital last month. The court granted them bail in all of those cases.
Lifting of ban
On Thursday, the Punjab government acquired the consent of the requisite number of provincial cabinet members to lift the ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), after the initial approval of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to revoke the proscription of the religious outfit.
The Punjab government will now forward its recommendations to the Centre for revoking the ban on the TLP. After receiving the nod from the chief minister, the cabinet wing of the services department had circulated a summary containing recommendations to end the TLP’s proscribed status among the ministers.
The government had earlier banned the TLP by declaring it a “militant organisation” for creating unrest in the country through a series of violent clashes with the law enforcement agencies.
Clashes between TLP, police
The TLP had launched the latest round of protests in Lahore on Oct 20, primarily to exert pressure on the Punjab government for the release of its chief, Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi.
The younger Rizvi has been kept in detention by the Punjab government since April 12 for “maintenance of public order”. However, TLP leader Pir Ajmal Qadri had later said the purpose of the move was “respect for the Holy Prophet (PBUH)”, while also demanding Rizvi’s release.
After three days of clashes with the police in Lahore, the TLP started a long march to Islamabad on Oct 22. Five police officials were martyred and scores of others from both sides received injuries in clashes in Lahore and Gujranwala as the marchers moved on the Grand Trunk Road.
On Oct 31, members of the negotiating team from the government side claimed that they had reached an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed group but refused to divulge its details.
