5 Killed, Dozens Injured As Hardline Group's Gaza Protest Turns Violent In Pakistan

Last Updated:October 13, 2025, 17:39 IST

The protest began on Friday in Lahore, with TLP announcing a march towards the US embassy in Islamabad to stage a sit-in in support of Gaza

Locals look at the remains of charred vehicles following violent clashes between police personnel and anti-Israel protesters from the TLP party in Muridke. (AFP photo)

At least five people, including a police officer, were killed and dozens more injured on Monday when a protest led by the hardline Islamist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) turned violent in Punjab province, police said.

The protest began on Friday in Lahore, with TLP announcing a march towards the US embassy in Islamabad to hold a sit-in in support of Gaza. Ironically, the protest was launched just days after a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas, with people in Gaza marking the end of hostilities.

The situation escalated when more than 7,000 TLP supporters reached Muridke, a town about 40 kilometres from Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. After talks between TLP leaders and government officials broke down, security forces launched a “dispersal operation" early on Monday.

TLP initially said the protests were meant to oppose the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — a truce supported by Pakistan’s government. The group later claimed it was protesting in solidarity with Palestinians.

According to police, the operation lasted around five hours and turned violent when protesters, some armed with nail-studded sticks, bricks, petrol bombs, and even guns, clashed with law enforcement.

“One police officer was killed and 48 others injured, including 17 with gunshot wounds," a senior police official confirmed. He added that three protesters and one civilian also died, and several others were injured.

Punjab Police said at least 40 government and private vehicles were set on fire. Images and videos shared on social media showed burnt-out vehicles and debris littering the roads.

TLP gained national attention in 2017 after it forced the government to reverse changes to the parliamentarians’ oath. Since then, it has led some of Pakistan’s most violent protests, often demanding the expulsion of Western envoys and the enforcement of strict blasphemy laws.

The violence on Monday came just as Israel declared a ceasefire, with troops withdrawing from Gaza and tens of thousands of Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes. At the same time, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was in Egypt to attend the signing ceremony of the Gaza peace plan.

“Today’s ceremony marks the closing of a genocidal chapter, one that the international community must ensure is never repeated anywhere again," Sharif posted on X.

Pakistan does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

(With inputs from agencies)

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News world 5 Killed, Dozens Injured As Hardline Group's Gaza Protest Turns Violent In Pakistan

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