TLP leader, stick-wielding supporters carry out procession despite ban on gatherings

Islamabad [Pakistan], October 17 (ANI): Even after a ban on gatherings in Haripur district in Hazara city in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a TLP head entered the region alongside thousands of supporters who were carrying sticks and marched on towards Havelian in adjacent Abbottabad District, where the leader was scheduled to address a rally, media reports said.
"We allowed them to enter and cross the urban limits of Haripur peacefully as we avoided taking action fearing loss of property as hundreds of Rizvi's followers were wielding clubs," said a police officer, reported Dawn.
In the limits of Haripur, there is notably a ban on carrying out processions and gatherings for 15 days. However, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Allama Saad Rizvi was defiant to the rules as he planned to address the Eid Miladun Nabi procession.
Eid Milad-un-Nabi is celebrated annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad and is observed in the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which commences with the sighting of the moon. The occasion also marks the death anniversary of the Prophet.
Rizvi as he transgressed the norms by holding the procession stopped briefly at Sidiq-i-Akbar Chowk. He asked the workers to chant with him the party slogans. Instead of making a planned address in Haripur, he left for Havelian on a container surrounded by club-wielding supporters, reported Dawn.
As per TLP local leadership, over 30,000 participants attended the procession however as the media portal quoting an official source said that the number was not more than 6,000 to 7,000.
To tackle any untoward incident, the administration put blockaded all entry and exit points on the Hazara Motorway and the GT Road. They parked containers on Saturday night and deployed 1,600 riot police.
To quell any unrest, two companies of Frontier Corps sent in aid of the civil administration remained alert. However, due to all this deployment, there was a traffic snarl. The passengers and motorists travelling in or out of the district using GT Road and motorway were facing issues.
Moreover, the mobile service remained suspended throughout the day. However, internet service was functional but with poor signals. The traders on both sides of GT road kept their business shut, reported Dawn. (ANI)