- Notification issued under Section 11B of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, states it has ‘reasonable grounds’ to link TLP with terrorism
- Party included in list of banned outfits after Cabinet, chaired by PM Shehbaz, unanimously approved summary
- Punjab govt proposed ban after violent nationwide demonstrations, accusing party of reneging on 2021 pledge to abandon violent tactics
ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry on Friday formally notified the ban on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), citing “reasonable grounds” to believe that the religiopolitical group was connected to terrorism, days after its nationwide protests over Gaza left several people dead and disrupted major highways across the country.
A notification issued by the interior ministry stated that the decision was made under Section 11B(1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, adding that the TLP would now be listed as a proscribed organisation under the Act’s First Schedule.
“The federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is connected with and concerned in terrorism,” the notification read, confirming the party’s inclusion in the list of banned outfits.
The Govt has proscribed TLP under ATA, not the Elections Act/Art 17 of the Constitution
There is no indication yet that the Govt also plans on dissolving TLP as a political party by making a declaration under Elections Act/Art 17 and referring the matter to the SC https://t.co/Jr7Lb2f2E5 pic.twitter.com/vYuLGXpfSU
— Reema Omer (@reema_omer) October 24, 2025
The move followed a day after the federal cabinet—acting on a proposal from the Punjab government—approved the ban during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the decision was taken unanimously following a detailed briefing by the interior ministry on what it described as the TLP’s “violent and terrorist activities.”
The ministry, in its presentation to the cabinet, maintained that the organisation had “repeatedly incited unrest” across Pakistan and had “reneged on previous assurances” to refrain from violence.
The decision came in the wake of nationwide protests earlier this week, during which TLP supporters clashed with security forces over the government’s stance on Gaza. The demonstrations resulted in the deaths of several protesters and police officers and left traffic paralyzed along key arteries from Karachi to Islamabad.
The PMO statement recalled that the TLP had a long history of street agitation. “In the past, security personnel and innocent bystanders have been killed in violent protests and rallies by the TLP,” it said, adding that the group had “once again crossed the line from political activism to violent extremism.”
Formed in 2015 as a movement advocating for stricter enforcement of blasphemy laws, the TLP later registered as a political party in 2016. It was first banned in 2021 by the then PTI government following deadly clashes with law enforcement. That ban was lifted six months later after the group gave written assurances to abandon violence—commitments that, the ministry said, have now been broken.
A source privy to Thursday’s cabinet meeting said members were unanimous that “the organisation must be barred from paralyzing the country time and again under the pretext of protests.”
Later, speaking to Geo News, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah clarified that the purpose of the ban was not to eliminate a political entity but to “purge it of anti-state and terrorist elements.”
“No one has an issue with TLP’s religious beliefs,” he said. “But whenever it stages protests, they end in chaos, violence, and loss of life—as witnessed during the 2017 Faizabad sit-in and in subsequent demonstrations.”
