HARIPUR: The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan has claimed that the police killed 10 of its workers and injured hundreds during a clash at the main bridge of Chamba village in Abbottabad district bordering Haripur district on Sunday night.

However, the police denied ‘deaths’ but insisted that their 33 officials suffered injuries after being hit by gunshots fired by the TLP activists.

They also revealed the arrest of 34 workers of the religio-political party for arson attacks, firing, damaging public and private property, and other acts of terrorism.

The clash occurred as the Abbottabad police stopped thousands of TLP workers from marching on Havalian tehsil to attend an Eid Miladun Nabi procession.

Police deny deaths, insist their 33 officials injured in attack

Led by TLP chief Allama Saad Rizvi, the marchers tried to remove shipping containers placed ahead of and on the bridge following a ban on processions and gatherings by the administrations of both districts.

The police also baton-charged them and fired teargas on them in a bid to disperse them. The TLP claimed that the police fired bullets on them.

When contacted, TTP Information Secretary, Hazara Zone, Syed Qasid Ali Shah claimed that the police firing killed over 10 workers of the party and left 50 critically injured and hundreds injured, while several were missing following the police’s action.

“The police fired straight shots and teargas on our peaceful workers on the way to Havelian,” Mr Shah told Dawn over the phone here on Monday evening.

He, however, named only three workers as the deceased, including Hafiz Mohammad Azam, Hafiz Mubashir Bhatti and Hafiz Mohammad Shakil.

“The exact death toll will be clear by Tuesday,” he said.

The TLP leader alleged that the police subjected several party workers to severe torture after arrest at the Chamba Bridge.

He said party leader Saad Rizvi behaved ‘sagaciously’ otherwise the death toll would have been ‘very high’.

Mr Shah said the party would announce the next course of action in the meeting of its Central Shura in Lahore.

He claimed that the TLP workers totalled 30,000 and they entered the limits of Hazara division via the GT Road near Jhari Kass area of Haripur on Sunday afternoon with party chief Allama Saad Rizvi leading them.

However, the police put the number at 6,000 insisting most of them carried batons and sticks.

The TLP’s Hazara chapter had reportedly invited Mr Rizvi to address a Miladun Nabi procession in Havelian on Sunday. The party workers from Haripur joined their leader prompting the police to crack down on them ahead of the Chamba Bridge.

The government had deployed 1,600 personnel of Riot Police at the entry and exit points of Haripur, including Hazara Motorway, on Saturday evening and called two Frontier Corps companies as reinforcement. Heavy contingents of police were deployed at different places in Havelian.

The Haripur police didn’t stop marchers in Jhari Kass and allowed the motorcade of Allama Rizvi and workers accompanying him to move on.

A police official claimed that the TLP workers were allowed to reach Chamba Bridge at night under a ‘strategy’ to prevent damage to public life and property as most of people went to bed and markets were closed.

He said the police resorted to baton-charge and teargas firing only after the frontline TLP workers attempted to remove barricades from the Chamba Bridge.

The official claimed that the marchers retaliated by throwing stones at the police by catapults and taking several policemen hostage.

He, however, said the police personnel were released after the intervention of the senior TLP leadership, which was unharmed in the police action.

In a news release, the Abbottabad police insisted that 33 policemen, including senior officers, were injured when they stopped the TLP’s workers from entering Havelian’s limits despite a ban.

They said they had arrested 34 TLP workers and registered cases against Mr Rizvi and other TLP leaders and workers under sections 324, 436, 153-A, 353, 365, 188, 189, 147, 148, 149, 341, 427 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act for kidnapping policemen, damaging vehicles, motorcycles and property, and violating Section 144.

However, Mr Rizvi and other TLP leaders weren’t arrested as they returned at around 3am on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2022