AFP
Islamabad
Pakistan authorities launched a crackdown Saturday against hundreds of supporters of a hardline cleric whose party recently paralysed 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 Friday, police said over 300 Tehreek-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party supporters were detained in Punjab province in efforts to "maintain public order”. The arrests came ahead of a scheduled party rally on Sunday in Islamabad, but Punjab information minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan said TLP supporters would be banned from gathering in the neighbouring province.
"We are detaining supporters of TLP across the province to avoid any backlash after the arrest of their leaders,” said Chohan.
"Police has been deployed in all major cities of the province to deal with any untoward incident. 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.
The court’s decision sparked furious demonstrations led by the hardline TLP, with protesters calling for Bibi’s execution as they blocked major roads, leaving large swathes of the country paralysed.
Islamabad
Pakistan authorities launched a crackdown Saturday against hundreds of supporters of a hardline cleric whose party recently paralysed 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 Friday, police said over 300 Tehreek-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party supporters were detained in Punjab province in efforts to "maintain public order”. The arrests came ahead of a scheduled party rally on Sunday in Islamabad, but Punjab information minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan said TLP supporters would be banned from gathering in the neighbouring province.
"We are detaining supporters of TLP across the province to avoid any backlash after the arrest of their leaders,” said Chohan.
"Police has been deployed in all major cities of the province to deal with any untoward incident. 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.
The court’s decision sparked furious demonstrations led by the hardline TLP, with protesters calling for Bibi’s execution as they blocked major roads, leaving large swathes of the country paralysed.