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Pakistan to outlaw violent Islamist group that rails on blasphemy
Source: Reuters
APAC
APRIL 14, 2021 5:53 AM UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Pakistan to outlaw violent Islamist group that rails on blasphemy
By Asif Shahzad, Umar Farooq
3 MIN READ
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan is to outlaw a hardline Islamist group that railed agaisnt blasphemy to rise to prominence, the interior minister said on Wednesday, the third day of violent protests that killed two police officers and wounded 340.
The government said it has also arrested 1,400 workers of the group, that is agitating against the arrest of its chief ahead of countrywide rallies to denounce publication of cartoons in France depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
Paramilitary troops were deployed overnight to clear the protests by the Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), which has blocked rail tracks, highways and entry and exit routes to all major cities.
An Islamist was also killed in the protests, triggered by the arrest of their leader, Saad Hussain Rizvi, 26.
-snip-
But the TLP is backed by a majority Sunni sect of Islam with a following of tens of thousands that will make it difficult to enforce any ban.
Pakistani extremists groups have a history of popping up with different names after being outlawed.
-snip-
APRIL 14, 2021 5:53 AM UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Pakistan to outlaw violent Islamist group that rails on blasphemy
By Asif Shahzad, Umar Farooq
3 MIN READ
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan is to outlaw a hardline Islamist group that railed agaisnt blasphemy to rise to prominence, the interior minister said on Wednesday, the third day of violent protests that killed two police officers and wounded 340.
The government said it has also arrested 1,400 workers of the group, that is agitating against the arrest of its chief ahead of countrywide rallies to denounce publication of cartoons in France depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
Paramilitary troops were deployed overnight to clear the protests by the Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), which has blocked rail tracks, highways and entry and exit routes to all major cities.
An Islamist was also killed in the protests, triggered by the arrest of their leader, Saad Hussain Rizvi, 26.
-snip-
But the TLP is backed by a majority Sunni sect of Islam with a following of tens of thousands that will make it difficult to enforce any ban.
Pakistani extremists groups have a history of popping up with different names after being outlawed.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-protest-blasphemy/pakistan-to-outlaw-violent-islamist-group-that-rails-on-blasphemy-idUSKBN2C1157
