FIR registered with anti-terror clauses as police trace TLP leadership amid post-protest calm
ISLAMABAD / RAWALPINDI / LAHORE — As calm gradually returns to Islamabad and Rawalpindi following days of violent protests by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), reliable sources have revealed that party chief Saad Hussain Rizvi and senior leader Anas Rizvi have been traced but are not yet in police custody.
According to the sources, both leaders are expected to be arrested “very soon.” They added that the two should surrender voluntarily to law enforcement authorities to ensure they receive necessary medical attention. “It’s still unclear whether Saad Rizvi or Anas Rizvi sustained injuries during the clashes,” one official said.
The recent unrest erupted as TLP workers attempted to march toward Islamabad, defying security barricades and government restrictions. The epicentre of the confrontation was Muridke, where the protest turned violent over the weekend. Police allege that a rifle recovered from Anas Rizvi was used during the firing incidents that left multiple people injured.
Despite social media claims of large-scale casualties, hospital records paint a different picture. Official data confirms the deaths of three people a TLP worker, a bystander, and a police officer while several other claims circulating online have been described as “exaggerated.”
Authorities have confirmed that an FIR has been registered at Rawat Police Station in Rawalpindi under multiple sections, including anti-terrorism clauses. The complaint, filed by Sub-Inspector Najeeb Ullah, names Saad Rizvi, Qari Bilal, and 21 others for allegedly blocking roads, attacking police, and attempting to snatch ammunition.
The FIR further states that protesters were armed with nail-embedded sticks, petrol bombs, and firearms. It accuses them of firing directly at police officials, wounding Constable Adnan, and assaulting another officer, Constable Nazeer. Several weapons, teargas shells, and petrol bombs were reportedly recovered from the site.
According to Punjab police, at least 25 separate cases have been registered across Lahore, including in Islampura, Shafiqabad, New Anarkali, Gawalmandi, Badami Bagh, and Shahdara, involving charges of terrorism, rioting, assault, and murder.
Officials described the Muridke unrest as an incident of “planned violence.” Negotiations between TLP representatives including Shafique Amini, Ghous Baghdadi, and Faizi — and the provincial administration had been ongoing when clashes broke out. Police say protesters ignored repeated instructions to relocate and instead escalated the confrontation by pelting stones, using sticks with nails, and throwing petrol bombs.
The violence left significant destruction in its wake. Around 40 government and private vehicles were set ablaze, while several shops and roadside structures were damaged. Police sources confirmed that 48 officers were injured, 17 of them with gunshot wounds, and at least 30 civilians also sustained injuries.
In one shocking incident, protesters reportedly hijacked a university bus and attempted to use it to block roads, while other vehicles were used to intimidate the public.
Law enforcement sources stated that weapons snatched from police personnel were later used in the violence findings supported by preliminary forensic analysis. “This was no peaceful protest. Throwing petrol bombs and burning public property will not be tolerated,” an official remarked.
Following days of unrest, the Metro Bus service between Islamabad and Rawalpindi has been partially restored. Routes from Saddar to Kashmir Highway and from Faiz Ahmed Faiz Station to the airport are now operational, while the D-Chowk section remains closed pending removal of containers.
Authorities have also reopened the Faizabad Interchange and directed the resumption of normal operations at transport terminals, hotels, restaurants, and markets signaling a slow return to normalcy after nearly a week of disruption.
