Pakistan has said it will outlaw an anti-blasphemy extremist party after its supporters caused nationwide havoc and killed at least two policemen during days of rioting.
Members of the far-right Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) have blocked motorways and fought police while demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador over the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.
Makeshift roadblocks and sit-ins left large numbers of people stranded on highways when the protests began on Monday, while police have been beaten with weapons as they clashed with the protesters.
At least two policemen have died and some 340 have been wounded.
Mobile phone footage shared on social media, appearing to show senior officers being held captive by the mob, or bloodied and overpowered constables being frogmarched by armed protesters, has led to widespread calls for the government to do more.
Sheikh Rashid, the interior minister, said the party would be banned under antiterror legislation.
“The government of Punjab has forwarded a recommendation to ban the TLP,” Mr Rashid told a press conference in Islamabad.
“It has been decided to ban it not on the basis of political grounds but due to creating upheaval and a summary would be forwarded to cabinet for approval,” he said.
The TLP was founded only six years ago and has made the denunciation of blasphemy against Islam a hugely successful rallying cry.
The party has quickly become notorious for its ability to mobilise crowds and hold governments to ransom by paralysing the country.
TLP members protested in major cities across Pakistan for three days in 2018 in protest at the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman and farmhand who spent nearly a decade on death row after being wrongly convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed.
Rattled by the scale of the unrest, Imran Khan's government put Bibi under house arrest and kept her from leaving the country for several months afterwards, even though she had been cleared.
The grass roots support of its firebrand leader, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, was further demonstrated in November 2020 when vast crowds gathered for his funeral in Lahore.
The gathering appeared to be one of the biggest crowds ever seen in the Punjab city of more than 11 million people, and local observers estimated that several hundred thousand supporters had attended.
Mr Rizvi's son, Saad Rizvi, has since taken charge, mobilising protesters who continue to demand the removal of the French ambassador over France's response to the killing of a teacher who showed cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed to pupils during a civics lesson.
Mr Khan's government was accused of appeasing the TLP after endorsing a ban on French goods and agreeing an April 20 deadline for a parliamentary resolution to expel the French envoy.
Rizvi was arrested in Lahore on Monday, setting off the latest wave of protests.
Roads were quickly closed and local news outlets reported incidents of protesters overpowering police.
In one video, which The National could not verify, a group of defeated looking officers are seated on the ground surrounded by protesters, with one bleeding and appearing to be badly hurt.
The mass demonstrations also disrupted deliveries of oxygen to hospitals in Lahore, health authorities said.
Oxygen supplies for critically ill Covid-19 patients are now being delivered under the protection of police escorts.
Analysts have viewed the appeasement and encouragement of the TLP as the latest attempt by members of the country's military establishment to harness religion as a political weapon.
The opposition Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) has accused the military of encouraging the TLP during the 2018 general election to eat into the PML-N's conservative Punjab heartlands.
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Programme at the Washington-based Wilson Centre think tank, said the ban was “the kind of tough move you want to see”.
“But will it work? The TLP has a substantial support base. It could well return under a new name. We’ve seen this movie before.”
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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ARGYLLE
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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Results
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THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
