Tasnim News Agency reported that due to ongoing protests, the security situation in Pakistan’s cities of Lahore and Islamabad has become tense. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party announced that its protest will continue until it reaches the U.S. Embassy.
According to sources, the protest began on Friday afternoon in the city of Lahore; however, a few hours later, clashes broke out between the police and the protesters, turning the city’s atmosphere into a security zone.
Local sources stated that dozens of protesters have been killed and injured, and for the second time in the capital Islamabad, internet services have been suspended.
The protesters claim that the demonstration is in support of the people of Palestine, while the Pakistani government accuses them of causing chaos, endangering the public, and engaging in violent clashes with the police.
Pakistan’s state media and other news channels have not released confirmed information regarding the casualties but reported that protesters have clashed with police, damaged public and private properties, and created an atmosphere of fear.
Meanwhile, Tehreek-e-Labbaik council member Farooq Hassan Qadri claimed that eleven protesters were killed and fifty others were injured by police gunfire, with the condition of around twenty of the wounded described as critical.
Reports add that in Islamabad and surrounding areas, internet services remain shut down for the second consecutive day, and all roads have been closed.