Three Pakistani police officers were killed and 70 people were injured when supporters of a banned Islamist party opened fire during a demonstration by anti-France Islamists in Pakistan on Wednesday, according to the interior minister. The "Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan" is protesting the arrest of its leader, who has been detained since April when the authorities banned the party, and is calling for the expulsion of the French ambassador.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan has organized large anti-France protests, prompting the French embassy in Pakistan to previously issue a warning to French citizens advising them to leave the country. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed stated at a press conference, "They opened fire on the police with Kalashnikov rifles... three policemen have lost their lives," adding that eight of the injured are in critical condition.
Punjab police chief Rao Sardar Ali Khan, in a separate press conference, reported that four police officers were killed on Wednesday. The movement accused the police of firing on the crowd, asserting that four of its supporters were killed. The police in Punjab and its capital Lahore denied using rubber or live ammunition and declined to comment on reports of protesters' deaths. Police spokesman Mazar Hussain told AFP, "We did not use weapons like that against them."
The latest demonstration began on Friday in Lahore, the movement’s base, and thousands marched towards the capital, Islamabad. Clashes between the two sides resulted in the deaths of two police officers on the first day of protests, while the movement reported five of its supporters were killed on Saturday. Police closed major roads and intersections leading to the capital, about 300 kilometers from the current protest site.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry stated on Wednesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan and security agencies agreed to treat the Tehreek-e-Labbaik as a militant group. The government had previously announced progress in talks with the movement, but protests resumed on Wednesday. The movement's spokesman, Sajad Safi, remarked, "We have done everything possible to make the talks successful, but the government is not serious about fulfilling its commitments." He added, "Our main demand is the expulsion of the French ambassador."
The government has repeatedly stated its unwillingness to close the French embassy or expel the current ambassador. The movement's leader, Saad Rizvi, was arrested in April amid violent anti-France protests that resulted in the deaths of six police officers. Earlier this year, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan led a violent campaign against France following French President Emmanuel Macron's defense of the right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in the name of freedom of expression. Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in conservative Pakistan, where unsubstantiated claims of insulting Islam can lead to violent protests, lynching, and a unification of most competing political parties' positions in the country.
