Pakistan suspends internet in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Tehreek-e-Labbaik protests

The Pakistani government has suspended mobile and internet services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and sealed the capital’s entry and exit routes ahead of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP), a radical Islamist party, planned ‘Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March’ on Friday.

Violent clashes between law enforcement officials and members of the party in Lahore city left dozens injured over the issue of an anti-Israel protest, police said on Thursday. 

Following an announcement by the



Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan to hold an anti-Israel demonstration outside the US embassy in Islamabad on Friday, the Punjab police raided the TLP headquarters here to arrest its chief, Saad Hussain Rizvi.

According to reports, the ministry of interior directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend mobile and internet services in the twin cities from midnight on Friday for an indefinite period. The move, approved by interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, comes amid heightened security concerns over the TLP’s protest call.