Pakistan: Protests continue over arrest of Islamist party leader

The arrest comes under Rule 11 (b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which bans all religio-political outfits in Pakistan.

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ISLAMABAD:


Violent protests continued for the second day in Pakistan on Thursday following the arrest of radical Islamist party leader Saad Rizvi.


Lahore police arrested Rizvi, leader of the far-right Islamist political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), on April 12, 2021, after the party demanded the French Ambassador to Pakistan to be sent home and to ban all imports from France.


Immediately after the arrest, protests sparked in many cities across Pakistan, including Karachi.


Demonstrators blocked the roads in several parts of the city, raising slogans against the Imran Khan-led government and the Pakistani Army.


The arrest comes under Rule 11 (b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which bans all religio-political outfits in Pakistan.

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