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There was a violent clash on Friday between the police and Islamists in eastern city of Pakistan Lahore After security forces tried to prevent thousands of protesters from moving from the city to the capital, islamabadWhere they planned to hold a pro-Palestinian rally outside the US Embassy, officials said.
The clashes in the capital of Punjab province began on Thursday but intensified on Friday when police lathicharged protesters and fired tear gas at several places to disperse them. In response, the protesters pelted stones at the officers.
In a statement, the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, or TLP, claimed that two of its supporters were killed and 50 others injured since Thursday. There was no immediate comment from the Punjab provincial government, which is led by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister’s niece.
The protests come after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump. Addressing thousands of worshipers in Lahore during Friday prayers, TLP chief Saad Rizvi announced the march, saying, “We will now march from Lahore to the US Embassy in Islamabad.”
He said, “I will lead the long march. Arrests are not a problem, bullets are not a problem, shells are not a problem – martyrdom is our destiny.”
However, according to eyewitnesses, police officers were using batons and firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters near the TLP main office. Eyewitnesses said that residents also faced serious hardships due to the use of tear gas by the police.
The violence has disrupted daily life in parts of the city, with residents struggling to return home due to road closures and frequent clashes between police and TLP members.
On Friday, authorities closed schools, colleges and universities in Lahore.
Prime Minister’s Government Shahbaz Sharif Mobile internet services have been suspended in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi as part of measures to prevent protesters from reaching the national capital.
Authorities have placed shipping containers on the main motorway, main highways and roads leading to Islamabad to prevent protesters from entering.
Lahore is about 350 kilometers (210 mi) from Islamabad.
Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhary on Thursday said the TLP has not submitted a request for permission to hold the rally. The group denied the claim, saying it had applied for a permit for a peaceful march to express solidarity with the Palestinians.
The TLP, which is known for staging disruptive and sometimes violent protests, has drawn criticism online, with many users accusing the government of overreacting by blocking roads with shipping containers even before protesters began their so-called “long march”.
“Why are these protesters coming to Islamabad for a rally when the peace process has started in Palestine?” Mohammad Ashfaq, 35, asked as he returned from a road jam in Islamabad.
He said they tried to use longer routes to reach the city, but police had also blocked those roads with shipping containers. “Now I have to figure out again how to get to my office,” he said.