Large scale protests broke out in Pakistan on Saturday (11th October) as the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) launched what it called a “Gaza March” on Islamabad.
According to a report by Dawn, The protests soon turned violent, and the police clashed with protesters in Lahore, with authorities sealing main roads and suspending internet services in the capital.
The protests started on Friday (10th October), following the Jumma prayers from the party headquarters at Multan Road Lahore. The rally was led by TLP chief Saad Rizvi, as thousands of supporters marched along, waving religious flags and chanting pro-Palestine slogans. A few protesters were carrying sticks, rods, and bricks as they made their way to Islamabad.
Pakistan: Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan holds Gaza protests in the country. Reports of violence emerging. pic.twitter.com/gnCyfsg05j
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) October 11, 2025
In a statement, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, or TLP, claimed that two of its supporters had been killed and 50 others injured since Thursday (9th October). The protest comes after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire plan brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking to thousands of worshippers in Lahore at Friday prayers, TLP chief Saad Rizvi announced the march, saying, “We will now march from Lahore to the U.S. Embassy” in Islamabad.
He said: “I will walk at the head of the long march. Arrest is not a problem, bullets are not a problem, shells are not a problem, martyrdom is our destiny.”
Police tried to control the situation by using barricades and tear gas in front of key intersections, including Yateem Khana Chowk, Chauburji, Azadi Chowk, and Shahdara. However, protesters broke through the barricades and continued their march.
Some eyewitnesses said that a few protesters climbed onto the track of Orange Line Metro and threw stones at the security personnel, injuring scores of policemen.
The Lahore police also said that dozens of its personnel were hurt in the clashes. The TLP, however, asserted that many of its workers were injured and even reported some having been killed in police firing, though these assertions have not been verified independently.
A Lahore anti-terror court sent 110 TLP activists into police custody for 12 days on charges of assaulting officials and vandalizing public property. Nawankot Police lodged an FIR against them, accusing them of firing guns and resorting to violence against the law enforcement officials.
Pakistan‘s State Minister for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, condemned the TLP, accusing it of exploiting religion and corruption concerns for political purposes. He said peaceful protest is a constitutional right, but violence and blackmail cannot be accepted. “No one will be allowed to employ mobs or force in order to impose their agenda,” he informed journalists in Islamabad.
Earlier confrontations in Lahore
Only days before the “Gaza March,” Lahore already saw violence associated with TLP. On Wednesday, 8th October, violence erupted in Lahore as the local police launched a crackdown on the headquarters of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to arrest its chief Saad Rizvi.
As per the local media, three police constables were injured during the clashes as TLP supporters attacked the police with stones and iron rods. The police unleashed tear-gas shelling to bring the situation in control. Some videos on social media show TLP supporters holding spent bullet casings and tear gas shells.
Ironically, Pakistan does not recognise the state of Israel officially and has joined the Islamic ‘Ummah’ in accusing the country of committing ‘genocide’ of Palestinian Muslims, however, the Pakistani puppet government is opposed to TLP protesting against Israel.
