LAHORE: Police on Monday dispersed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters who had been camping in Muridke after being stopped from marching towards Islamabad, following hours of violent clashes that left several people dead and dozens injured.
Officials said the confrontation broke out shortly after midnight when security forces launched an operation to clear the protest camp. A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said the operation commenced at 3 am and continued for nearly six hours.
According to the Punjab Police, a station house officer (SHO) was martyred during the confrontation, and three TLP workers were also killed. The officer was identified as Shehzad Nawaz, the SHO of Factory Area Police Station in Sheikhupura, who, as per a police statement on ‘X’, lost his life “while safeguarding lives and property.”
A police spokesperson reported that 48 law enforcement personnel were injured—17 from gunfire—along with eight civilians. One passerby also died in the exchange of fire.
Authorities stated that TLP activists attacked police with stones, nail-studded sticks, and petrol bombs before resorting to gunfire. Law enforcement responded with what they termed “controlled defensive action” to disperse the crowd. Police further alleged that protesters set nearly 40 vehicles ablaze, including both government and private property.
As violence escalated, panic spread across Muridke and nearby areas. Roads and motorways that had reopened on Sunday were again sealed around Lahore and Islamabad, disrupting traffic and daily life. In the capital, some schools dismissed students early due to heightened security concerns.
Police across Punjab also arrested TLP members as part of an ongoing crackdown that began on Friday when the group launched its march from Lahore to Islamabad. The TLP had intended to hold a pro-Palestine rally outside the US Embassy in Islamabad in solidarity with Gaza.
On Sunday, Punjab Rangers and police contingents from five districts had been deployed around Muridke, surrounding the protest camp in what officials described as preparations for a major clearance operation.
Sources indicated that negotiations between the government and the TLP had been underway to ease the standoff, but the talks collapsed before the police action began. Footage shared on social media showed vehicles engulfed in flames, thick smoke, and chaotic scenes as protesters and police clashed. The Punjab Police confirmed that all injured officers were receiving medical care at nearby hospitals.
By Monday afternoon, Sheikhupura and Muridke remained under tight security, with a strong police and Rangers presence to prevent further disturbances. Separately, widespread demonstrations broke out across the country on Monday after the TLP announced that its chief, Saad Hussain Rizvi, had been shot and wounded.
Following the announcement, angry protesters took to the streets in several major cities, blocking roads and setting tires on fire, which disrupted traffic and daily movement. Key highways and intersections became inaccessible as TLP supporters staged sit-ins and roadblocks, chanting slogans and demanding justice for their leader. The situation remained volatile, with reports of protests spreading to multiple urban centres.
In Burewala, eight police personnel, including two DSPs and three ASIs, were injured on Monday when a clash broke out between the TLP and police.
Police resorted to shelling and aerial fire, while the protesters responded with intense stone-pelting. Among the injured were DSP Headquarters Muhammad Nadeem and focal person DSP Burewala Muhammad Arshad. ASI Qari Abdul Ghaffar was reported to be in critical condition, and several officers suffered deep head wounds. Four constables were also injured.
Also, in a coordinated overnight operation, law enforcement agencies sealed seven religious seminaries allegedly affiliated with the TLP across Vehari district, official sources confirmed.
The action was jointly carried out by the district administration, police, and intelligence officials following directives from higher authorities. Teams moved in the early hours, ordered the immediate evacuation of the premises, and placed official seals on the buildings.
According to officials, the crackdown is part of a broader province-wide campaign to monitor institutions suspected of unlawful activities or having links to banned organisations. “Action was taken based on sensitive information and intelligence reports,” a senior police officer told reporters on condition of anonymity. The buildings will remain sealed until further notice.
The sealed seminaries include three in Tehsil Vehari—Jamia Anwar ur Raza, Madrassa Abu Ubaidah and Madrassa Anwar Ghausia Saeedia. In Burewala, four were targeted—Jamia Ihya-ul-Uloom, Jamia Muhammadiya Saeedia, Jamia Ghausia and Madrassa Atta-e-Rasool.
Meanwhile, normalcy returned to district Gujrat TLP protesters were dispersed from Muridke. The Grand Trunk (GT) Road and adjoining arteries, closed for three consecutive days, were largely restored by morning. A senior police officer confirmed the situation was under control and roads across the district had been reopened. Authorities have begun filling preventive trenches and removing heavy containers used to block the protest convoys.
Despite the restoration, police contingents remain deployed on key routes, including GT Road and Chenab Bridge, to deter protesters from regrouping. Local businesses have reopened and public transport has gradually resumed, offering relief to commuters. Life appears to be returning to normal, albeit under a visible security presence.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vehemently condemned the “brutal and excessive” use of force against TLP leaders and workers in Muridke, demanding the chief minister of Punjab step down immediately.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a statement, denounced the “bloodshed” of TLP marchers as a reprehensible, inhumane and disgraceful act with no place in a civilised or democratic society.
“All those responsible for this carnage must be held accountable and brought to justice without delay. Had the perpetrators of the Model Town massacre been punished, the Muridke tragedy would never have occurred,” he contended.
Waqas questioned the conspicuous silence of the “imposed rulers,” asking where the prime minister, the chief minister of Punjab, and the Punjab information minister have gone. He noted they typically hold frequent press conferences to “spew venom against opponents” but have fallen completely silent after the massacre.
“You have unleashed a massacre on the soil of Punjab and spilled Muslim blood on our land. You alone are responsible for these deaths, and you will be held to account—in this world and the world hereafter for your crimes,” he remarked.
The TLP leadership, he claimed, repeatedly sought dialogue until the last moment, pleading that they were unarmed. Yet, the regime failed, whether through inability or unwillingness, to restrain its police from committing this massacre.
Waqas recalled that the same ruthless approach was adopted on November 26, and the recent scenes of indiscriminate firing from Muridke were deeply tragic and heartbreaking. “Such actions not only erode public trust but also expose the government’s moral and political bankruptcy,” he insisted.
He strongly urged the government and institutions concerned to abandon this authoritarian and repressive approach, warning that the blind use of force would neither resolve issues nor establish justice.
He argued that the State cannot conduct a transparent probe into the massacre; therefore, independent observers and human rights organisations must be included in the investigation to ensure fairness.
Waqas maintained that his party stands firmly in solidarity with all victims of state brutality. “We will continue to support, through peaceful and constitutional means, every struggle for the attainment of justice, the rule of law, and the protection of fundamental civil rights,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said: “We have noted the recent statements made by the spokesperson of the Taliban regime regarding Pakistan’s internal affairs.
We strongly encourage the Afghan spokesperson to prioritise issues pertinent to Afghanistan and refrain from commenting on matters outside their jurisdiction.
The principle of non-interference in matters of other countries should be adhered to as per international diplomatic norms. Pakistan does not require outside advice on its internal matters.
We also expect the Taliban Regime to abide by its obligations and promises made to the international community during Doha Process.
The Taliban regime should not allow its land to be used for terrorism against other countries. Besides, the regime should focus on formation of an inclusive and truly representative government, instead of engaging in baseless propaganda,” the statement concluded.
