At least four Policemen were killed and over 253 injured as thousands of workers of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) clashed with law-enforcement personnel near Sadhoke in Gujranwala District of Punjab on October 27, reports Dawn. Police said the clashes were triggered after they tried to block the TLP activists' march towards Islamabad. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tweeted that the four Police personnel were killed due to firing by TLP workers, adding that 253 others had been injured in the violence. Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said 70 Police personnel had been injured, of whom eight were in critical condition. A Punjab Police spokesman said “TLP activists used SMG, AK 47 and pistols to target police officials as the result of which several officials were martyred.” The TLP claimed that several of their activists had also been killed or wounded.
Meanwhile, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on October 27 categorically said that the proscribed TLP will not be allowed to challenge the writ of the state and will be treated as a "militant" group and not a religious party, reports Dawn. Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Federal cabinet, Chaudhry said that the banned group was established in 2015 and since then, their modus operandi has been to come out on the roads and block them. "But there is a limit to the state's patience". He said that people have a right to their "ideas" but can't be allowed to take up arms if their ideas are not heard. "In today's cabinet meeting, it was decided that such activities will not be tolerated. We will not tolerate those who challenge the writ of the state," he said, adding that the Pakistani state had defeated major terrorist organisation such as al Qaeda.
Further, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on October 27 that the Rangers were being called in to maintain law and order in Punjab for 60 days after recent clashes with the TLP, reports Dawn. Rashid said that considering the gravity of the situation, he was deploying Rangers under Article 147 of the Constitution (which allows the provincial government to entrust its functions to the federation) on the request of the provincial government, "just like in Karachi".
Separately, a letter seen by Dawn showed that the Punjab Government has approved the requisition of paramilitary force Rangers under Section 4(2) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 read with Article 147 of the Constitution. According to the letter, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) have been entrusted powers in terms of Section 4(3)(i) of ATA within Punjab to prevent the commission of terrorist acts and scheduled offences under ATA, to exercise powers of police officers provided in the Code of Criminal Procedure, read with Section 5 of ATA for a period of 60 days.