Although a cold wave has hit the country, the temperature is rising considerably in Islamabad due to political activities. The ruling coa
Why the Pakistani religious extremist political party TLP is a symbol of fear for Christians By Dr.Emanuel Adil Ghouri
Recently, Tehreek-e-LabbaikPakistan (TLP) staged a violent protest on GT Road in Mureedy near Lahore in which government and private property was damaged, hundreds of government and private vehicles were set on fire and clashes between police and protesters resulted in significant casualties on both sides After which the provincial government of Punjab demanded from the federal government to ban the said party.
On October 22, 2025, the federal cabinet, by unanimous decision announced a formal ban under the Terrorism Act. The charge sheet framed by the federal government includes, among other allegations, the allegation that the party has been involved in violent acts against minorities.
Shah Zaib Khanzada, anchorperson of TV channel Geo News, while discussing the ban on his program openly stated that this party has been involved in the killing of hundreds of people from minorities and damaging their places of worship.
Some religious parties were banned in the past, but those parties have changed their names and continued their work with the same leaders and the same agenda Tehreek-e-Labbaik was previously banned in 2021, but six months later, when the party marched towards Islamabad in a show of strength, the then government out of fear announced the lifting of the ban on the party.
Although the manifesto of Tehreek-e-Labbaik is to work for the protection of the honor of the Prophet and the exaltation of religion, the real fame of this party is due to violent acts.
Its rise to fame came primarily when in 2011, a police officer, Muhammad Mumtaz Qadri, shot and killed Punjab Governor Suleman Taseer because he had supported Asia Bibi, a Christian woman accused of a blasphemy case.
Mumtaz Qadri claimed that the aim was to punish Taseer for defending him. Qadri was convicted of murder by an anti-terrorism court and sentenced to death. He was hanged in February 2016, but many TLP supporters consider him a hero.
The second major reason for this group's fame is the blasphemy case of Christian woman Asia Bibi. Asia Bibi was sentenced to death in a blasphemy case in 2010 and later acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2018 on the basis of incomplete evidence and weak testimony.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) played a central role in the violent protests that followed the acquittal. Bibi was eventually allowed to leave Pakistan. Despite her honorable acquittal in the blasphemy case, the Christian woman Asia Bibi was forced to flee to Canada for her life due to the group's fear.
Similarly, incidents of terrorism in the name of religion by this party continued to increase. In December 2021, TLP was accused of inciting a mob to kill Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan factory manager, in Sialkot.
The biggest incident of religious terrorism in Pakistan occurred in Jaranwala on August 16, 2023, in which more than a hundred Christian homes were demolished and 26 churches were burned within 12 hours. The Holy Bible in the churches was desecrated.
According to the BBC Urdu Service's August 16 publication, the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Punjab Sound System Act have been included in the case registered at the City Jaranwala police station for vandalism and arson in Jaranwala. According to the case, eight people incited people and led the demonstration, two of whom belong to the religious groups Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
It is a hardline Islamist political party that has been the subject of some controversy and complaints. Its activities are often criticized, and many observers have described its hardline religious views as a cause of concern for minority communities. Other religious parties, such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, have mentioned the rights of minorities in their manifestos as political parties. In fact, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has also given its minority members access to parliament. While the TLP ignored the 10 million Pakistani minorities and did not include them in its manifesto and organizational structure, which is a clear expression of its hatred for minorities, this party has become a symbol of fear for minorities, so minorities have never turned to it politically
On October 22, 2025, the federal cabinet, by unanimous decision announced a formal ban under the Terrorism Act. The charge sheet framed by the federal government includes, among other allegations, the allegation that the party has been involved in violent acts against minorities.
Shah Zaib Khanzada, anchorperson of TV channel Geo News, while discussing the ban on his program openly stated that this party has been involved in the killing of hundreds of people from minorities and damaging their places of worship.
Some religious parties were banned in the past, but those parties have changed their names and continued their work with the same leaders and the same agenda Tehreek-e-Labbaik was previously banned in 2021, but six months later, when the party marched towards Islamabad in a show of strength, the then government out of fear announced the lifting of the ban on the party.
Although the manifesto of Tehreek-e-Labbaik is to work for the protection of the honor of the Prophet and the exaltation of religion, the real fame of this party is due to violent acts.
Its rise to fame came primarily when in 2011, a police officer, Muhammad Mumtaz Qadri, shot and killed Punjab Governor Suleman Taseer because he had supported Asia Bibi, a Christian woman accused of a blasphemy case.
Mumtaz Qadri claimed that the aim was to punish Taseer for defending him. Qadri was convicted of murder by an anti-terrorism court and sentenced to death. He was hanged in February 2016, but many TLP supporters consider him a hero.
The second major reason for this group's fame is the blasphemy case of Christian woman Asia Bibi. Asia Bibi was sentenced to death in a blasphemy case in 2010 and later acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2018 on the basis of incomplete evidence and weak testimony.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) played a central role in the violent protests that followed the acquittal. Bibi was eventually allowed to leave Pakistan. Despite her honorable acquittal in the blasphemy case, the Christian woman Asia Bibi was forced to flee to Canada for her life due to the group's fear.
Similarly, incidents of terrorism in the name of religion by this party continued to increase. In December 2021, TLP was accused of inciting a mob to kill Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan factory manager, in Sialkot.
The biggest incident of religious terrorism in Pakistan occurred in Jaranwala on August 16, 2023, in which more than a hundred Christian homes were demolished and 26 churches were burned within 12 hours. The Holy Bible in the churches was desecrated.
According to the BBC Urdu Service's August 16 publication, the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Punjab Sound System Act have been included in the case registered at the City Jaranwala police station for vandalism and arson in Jaranwala. According to the case, eight people incited people and led the demonstration, two of whom belong to the religious groups Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
It is a hardline Islamist political party that has been the subject of some controversy and complaints. Its activities are often criticized, and many observers have described its hardline religious views as a cause of concern for minority communities. Other religious parties, such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, have mentioned the rights of minorities in their manifestos as political parties. In fact, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has also given its minority members access to parliament. While the TLP ignored the 10 million Pakistani minorities and did not include them in its manifesto and organizational structure, which is a clear expression of its hatred for minorities, this party has become a symbol of fear for minorities, so minorities have never turned to it politically
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"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti
On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.