LAHORE/SAHIWAL: The police have arrested 11 activists of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for allegedly attacking a fast-food chain outlet in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Lahore

The police tracked down the suspects with the help of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) cameras, human intelligence and the geo-fencing of the area.

The police teams constituted by Lahore Operations DIG Faisal Kamran later traced their locations and arrested 11 of them.

The DIG told Dawn the suspects have already been booked for attacking the fast-food outlet.

To a question, he said the Lahore-based TLP leaders disowned the suspects involved in the attack, declaring it their individual act.

Meanwhile, Sahiwal’s Ghalla Mandi police baton-charged and arrested six local activists of the TLP for blocking the Lahore-Khanewal national highway for two hours on Sunday evening.

According to police sources, on the call of the local TLP chapter for a protest rally demanding the release of the party’s activists arrested by Lahore police, the party activists blocked the highway near Eastern Bypass for traffic.

As the activists ignored the announcement by police requesting them to clear the highway, the police resorted to a baton charge, dispersing the protesters and arresting six of them. The police opened the road for traffic after three hours.

Those arrested include Saqlain Baloch, Asad Ali, Saleem, Muhammad Ahmed, Furqan, and Jaffar Hussain.

They were booked under sections 148, 149, 186, 341, 353 of the PPC, and 16 MPO on the complaint of SI Nadeem Safder of Ghalla Mandi police.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025