Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan protests outside Pak mission in London
Apr 16, 2021
London [UK], April 16 : Around two dozen of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) UK gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London on Thursday demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador as well as a boycott of French products from the Pakistan government.
The group gathered at Lowndes Square on Thursday afternoon to chant slogans and also submit a petition with their formal complaints to the High Commission. They also protested against the death of TLP workers who were killed during ongoing riots across Pakistan, reported Dawn.
The protestors were largely British Pakistanis settled in London, while some had travelled from Birmingham where the TLP is known to have a limited but active presence.
Metropolitan Police officials arrived at the scene and allowed the protesters to raise their concerns in a peaceful manner. Among their slogans, the protesters chanted one in Urdu that translates to inciting violence against someone who commits blasphemy, reported Dawn.
The petition detailed the group's position on blasphemous sketches and summarised their demands to the government about the expulsion of the French ambassador.
It also noted that the government had reneged on an agreement with the group and protested the arrest of their leader despite their understanding with government officials.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan government earlier moved to ban the TLP after its elements attacked police officials during widespread protests that paralysed major thoroughfares across the country.
The TLP is protesting against the arrest of their leader Saad Hussain Rizvi, who was taken into custody earlier this week.
Also, International Crisis Group report dated January 2019, had said religious groups, spearheaded by the TLP launched violent protests countrywide after the Supreme Court's acquittal of Aasia Bibi, a Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy by a court in 2010. It said the group attacked police officers and citizens and also destroyed public and private property.
