Web Desk; Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, said on Friday that the now-banned religio-political party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had originally been created to undermine the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) vote bank.
Speaking on Geo News programme “Naya Pakistan,” Rana Sanaullah confirmed that the TLP had been used in the past to divide votes that would have otherwise gone to the PML-N. “It was created to steal votes from our vote bank,” he remarked.
His comments came a day after the federal cabinet officially banned the TLP, citing its links to terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The Interior Ministry said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe the party was connected to terrorist activities, following nationwide protests over Gaza that resulted in several deaths of protesters and police personnel while crippling major roads and highways across Pakistan.
In the 2018 general elections, the TLP secured around 2.2 million votes — mostly from Punjab and Karachi — and was believed to have cost the PML-N at least 15 closely contested National Assembly seats.
Rana Sanaullah clarified that the recent ban had nothing to do with the party’s earlier political use, saying, “It is up to the federal cabinet to decide on any dissolution plans.” He added that no negotiations would be held with the group, recalling that “previous assurances were already violated.”
He emphasised that any organisation, whether political, religious, or educational, found involved in terrorist activities is liable to be banned under clause 11b of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
Regarding the party’s political future, the adviser said, “It is very difficult for a party to function while banned under the ATA,” adding that the group “cannot contest elections” in its current state.
After the notification of the ban, the government will send the grounds of the decision to TLP within three days, after which the party will have 30 days to file an appeal in a high court. However, the ban will remain effective during the review and appeal period.
According to the Constitution, the final decision to outlaw a political party lies with the Supreme Court, under Article 17(2), which states that the government must refer the matter to the apex court within 15 days of such a declaration.
TLP, founded in 2015 out of a movement demanding the release of Mumtaz Qadri — the assassin of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer — formally became a political party in 2016 after Qadri’s funeral, attended by thousands.
