In Pakistan, at least three people have been killed in clashes between police and supporters of the banned extremist Islamic TLP. Security forces were pelted with incendiary bombs and five officers were kidnapped, a police spokesman said.
More than 20 people were injured in the clash in the country’s second city, Lahore. Police say eleven officers have been hospitalized with injuries. Security forces tried to clear a movement headquarters, a TLP spokesman said. The fight is still ongoing, according to news agencies.
Video footage allegedly shows thousands of protesters clashing with riot police. But a lack of verifiable information makes it difficult to say exactly what is happening.
News channels and social media on black
Last week, the government decided to ban the TLP. The authorities hope in this way to stop the ongoing protests from supporters. Supporters of the movement demand that the group’s religious leader be released.
Pakistani news channels are prohibited from reporting on the TLP. In addition, telephony and internet are regularly down. Friday it was decided to Block Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. The Pakistani government says it wants to restore public order in this way.
Quarrel over French Mohammed cartoons
The TLP has been at odds with the government for months over its relationship with France. The group demands that the ambassador be expelled immediately because of publications of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in France. The demonstrations about this have already resulted in several deaths, hundreds of injuries and thousands of arrests in recent weeks.
At the end of last year, the TLP already staged massive protests against France, after French President Macron defended freedom of speech when an Islamic terrorist beheaded teacher Samuel Paty. Paty showed cartoons about the Prophet during his lessons. TLP sees this as blasphemy.
Three years ago, TLP held demonstrations to demand that ties with the Netherlands be severed because of Geert Wilders’ Mohammed cartoon competition.
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