Talks to dissuade TLP remain fruitless

LAHORE:

Despite multiple rounds of backchannel contacts and mediation efforts, talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have failed to yield a breakthrough, prompting the charged religious group to declare that its sit-in around Muridke and adjoining areas will continue until a written agreement is reached.

The group warned that if negotiations collapse, it would resume its march toward Islamabad "without further warning".

TLP leaders, addressing supporters from a makeshift stage along the Grand Trunk Road, said they would not end their current encampment unless the government formally recognised their stance on the Gaza ceasefire and released detained workers.

Senior organisers reiterated that they had "already sacrificed blood" and would not retreat on mere verbal assurances. "We are camped here, and we will remain here until there is a signed accord. If the rulers think we are tired, they are mistaken," a TLP spokesperson told supporters.

Thousands of TLP activists have been stationed in and around Muridke and Sadhoke for a second consecutive day, their movement slowed by heavy police and paramilitary deployment.

The main highways leading to Islamabad have been sealed with shipping containers, trenches, and barbed wire, though sections of the M-2 and M-3 motorways were partially reopened on Sunday evening to ease public pressure.

 

Mobile internet services, earlier suspended in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad, were also gradually restored.

According to the Punjab government, informal talks have taken place through intermediaries, including religious figures and political representatives.

However, officials say TLP has not presented "a clear set of demands," while the group insists it seeks recognition of its Gaza solidarity march and an end to what it calls "state aggression" against peaceful protesters.

Clashes over the past 72 hours have left more than 100 police personnel injured in Lahore alone, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, TLP claims that over two dozen of its members were killed during confrontations at Shahdara and other entry points into the city, figures that remain unverified.

A counter-terrorism court in Lahore has placed over 100 detained activists on remand after police accused them of attacking officers and vandalising public property while attempting to break through barricades.

Markets, schools and public transport services in several parts of Punjab have remained closed or disrupted, with commuters reporting long detours due to security lockdowns.

The federal capital remains under tight security, with Islamabad Police and Rangers stationed across major roads and entry routes.

However, TLP appears determined to continue its campaign. "We are not asking for negotiations to get a share in power," said a senior figure addressing the crowd on Sunday. "We are only demanding that this government stand clearly with Gaza and stop treating its own citizens like enemies."

 

The federal government, wary of the political fallout of a violent confrontation, has urged restraint. Interior officials reiterated that no group would be allowed to enter Islamabad or "threaten the writ of the state."

Analysts note that the administration faces a familiar dilemma - how to defuse a highly emotive religious mobilisation without granting undue legitimacy to street pressure.

As of late Sunday night, TLP caravans remained stationed in Muridke, with supply lines intact and morale high. With no consensus emerging from ongoing negotiations, the standoff shows no sign of abating.

Whether the government pursues a negotiated settlement or braces for another wave of marches toward the capital is likely to become clear in the coming hours.

As talks resumed, authorities reopened most major intersections on motorways M-1, M-2, M-3 and M-11 for traffic flow.