Notorious Mullah Khadim Hussain Rizvi Arrested

Lahore [Pakistan], Nov 24 (ANI): Police in Lahore arrested Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the most notorious extremist mullah and Chief of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), from his residence in Lahore on Friday night. The detention of the TLP leader and his some close colleagues came just two days before the TLP's planned public rally in Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi on November 25.

This is another big challenge for Imran Khan's government and everyone fears hatred demonstration and even some casualties in reaction of these arrests. According to the sources, the police personnel carried out an operation on Lahore's Multan Road and arrested at least 100 members of the politico-religious party TLP.

Earlier this month, TLP had led a protest, which lasted for days and included several other political parties. The sit-ins were against the Supreme Court's decision to release Asiya Bibi, a Christian woman on death row since 2010, acquitting her of blasphemy charges. The protests were ended after the government and the religious parties reached a 4-point agreement.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has confirmed that Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by police and shifted to a guest house. Fawad took to Twitter saying the step was taken after TLP refused to call off November 25 protest rally in Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh.

He went on to say, "It's top priority of the government to safeguard public life, property and order and has nothing to do with Asia Bibi case." The minister added they (TLP) insisted to come to Rawalpindi refusing Governments proposal for alternative arrangements. "Government did its best to convince them but they refused every offer and started to provoke violence.

"The TLP has become a continuous threat to the life and properties of the citizens and is doing politics under the guise of religion... the situation is fully under control, people should remain peaceful and fully cooperate with authorities," he said in a tweet in Urdu.

The minister said the government "did it[s] best" to convince the party against convening for the protest, "but they refused every offer and started to provoke violence". Rizvi, who has support of big followers, was arrested from his hujra (private room) in Lahore. Rizvi's son, Saad said along with his father, all district leaders of TLP have been arrested.

The crackdown comes ahead of Rizvi's call to party members to observe martyrs' day on November 25. He had asked workers and supporters to gather at Faizabad in the Islamabad. According to police sources, a large-scale operation was started against TLP leaders in several major cities. TLP leader Pir Afzal Qadri in a video message corroborated that police was raiding their mosques in order to arrest leaders.(ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)