Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan leader detained by police after group calls for fresh protests over acquittal of Aasia Bibi

Police late on Friday detained a hardline cleric whose party recently paralyzed the country with violent protests over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. Hours after firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi was himself arrested late on Friday, police said over 300 Tehreek-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party supporters were detained in Punjab province in efforts to “maintain public order”. There is a complete ban on all type of political gatherings in the province.”

The country’s information minister Fawad Chaudhry said the detention of Rizvi “has to do nothing with (the) Asia Bibi case,” referring to a Christian woman who was on death row for eight years before the Supreme Court overturned her blasphemy conviction last month. In recent weeks Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party launched nationwide protests demanding Bibi’s public execution and the party’s founder, Mohammad Afzal Qadri, called for the death of the three Supreme Court judges who ruled to acquit her. There is no controversy.”

Bibi is not allowed to leave the country until the final review into her case is complete. “They insisted to come to Rawalpindi refusing government’s proposal for alternative arrangements,” he tweeted

Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by police and shifted to a guest house.They insisted to come to Rwp refusing Governments proposal for alternative arrangements

It’s to safeguard public life, property and order and has to do nothing with Asia Bibi case — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 23, 2018

Govt did it best to convince them but they refused every offer and started to provoke violence. — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 23, 2018

Fawad requested the people to stay peaceful as “law shall take its course and it cannot be left to individuals.”

LABBAIK:

The religious party, founded in 2015, burst onto the scene after the government carried out Mumtaz Qadri’s death sentence in 2016. In a video message released on Friday, another TLP leader Pir Afzal Qadri called for fresh protests, saying police had arrested dozens of party workers in the port city of Karachi and in parts of central Punjab province including Lahore.
Khadim Hussain Rizvi, chief of Pakistani political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), together with his party leaders, is arrested after TLP's refusal to postpone their call for a public rally planned for 25 November at Liaqat Bagh, Rawalpindi. Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry clarifies that the action has no connection with the Asia Bibi case.