LAHORE: The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was first declared a proscribed organization during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on April 15, 2021, following a series of violent demonstrations. However, just seven months later, the Punjab government under PTI recommended lifting the ban, citing “broader national interest,” according to official documents obtained by Jang.
In the letter No.SO(IS-I)4-18/2019(P-II)(Proscription), a copy of which is available with The News, the Punjab Home Department, after securing approval from the Chief Minister and the provincial cabinet’s Standing Committee on Law and Order, wrote to the federal government on November 5, 2021, recommending that the ban be revoked.
The letter noted that after an agreement between the federal government and TLP, the group had submitted both an application and an undertaking requesting removal from the proscribed list.
The committee, in its meeting held on November 3, 2021, concluded that the undertaking and commitments provided by TLP warranted reconsideration of the ban. “In the larger national interest,” the letter stated, “the provincial government recommends lifting the ban on TLP, ensuring that such incidents do not recur in the future.”
According to the document, the Punjab government’s recommendation followed TLP’s written assurance that the organization would “uphold the Constitution and laws of Pakistan.”
The provincial authorities expressed the belief that, following this commitment, the group would function within legal parameters. A senior government official, requesting anonymity, told Jang that the federal government retains the authority to proscribe or de-proscribe any organization without prior consultation with provincial administrations. He further disclosed that the Punjab government, while initially recommending the ban, later advised lifting it, and that the Sindh government concurred with the proposal. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did not issue any letter to the federation regarding the matter.
The official also confirmed that no TLP leader or activist has so far been placed on the Fourth Schedule under Section 11EE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, following the party’s recent protest movements. He added that under the law, the federal government has the unilateral authority to include any individual in the Fourth Schedule if “reasonable and justifiable grounds” exist.