TLP’s rally against blasphemous caricatures reaches Dina en route to capital

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) march from Lahore to Islamabad which started on Wednesday as a form of protest against Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders’ announcement to hold a competition of blasphemous caricatures has reached the town of Dina in Jhelum district.

The party is demanding that the government expel the Netherlands’ ambassador to Pakistan from the country in protest against the competition.

Comprising hundreds of supporters of the religiopolitical party, the rally arrived in Dina on Thursday on its way to the capital via G.T. Road. Commuters are experiencing heavy traffic jams on routes leading to Islamabad because of the march.

The capital administration has started bringing in containers to secure the red zone before the protesters reach there. The containers will be placed in case the planned negotiations with the TLP leaders fail.

The TLP had earlier given the call of a countrywide protest at 4pm. However, it later retracted the call, with its spokesperson Pir Ijaz Ashrafi explaining: “The protest call was given because our way to Jhelum was blocked but since it was cleared, the call has been cancelled.”

He, however, warned that “the option of countrywide protests can still be used if obstacles are created anywhere on their route.”

The religiopolitical party had attained notoriety after it effectively disrupted daily life in Islamabad for 20 days in November 2017. The PML-N government at the time had initiated several rounds of negotiations with the protesters, but failed each time. Under pressure, it had finally launched an operation to disperse the protesters, leaving at least six people killed and scores others injured.