TLP set to become 83rd banned outfit in 25 years

Party was also banned in 2021 for six months by then-PTI government

With the federal cabinet approving a ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, the party is likely to become the 83rd political or religious organization, armed group, or welfare body to be declared a proscribed entity in Pakistan over the past 25 years.

A ban was also imposed on TLP in 2021 by the then-ruling PTI government but it was lifted after six months on the condition that the group would refrain from violent or subversive acts.

Can the TLP actually be banned?

Under Section 11-B(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, any group or political/religious organization found involved in criminal or terrorist activities may be declared banned. The process is carried out by the Ministry of Interior with the approval of provincial governments and the national assembly.

History of banned outfits

The crackdown on extremist and sectarian organizations began in 2001, when Pakistan was facing a surge in sectarian terrorism. The first groups to be banned were Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Muhammad.

In 2002, the process accelerated with bans imposed on several jihadi organizations, including Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Islami, and Tehreek Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi, effectively outlawing their activities across the country.

In 2003, further action was taken against Al-Qaeda, Jamaat-ul-Furqan, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, and Jamaat-ul-Ansar.

Rebranding of banned organizations

Several previously banned groups re-emerged under new names—Sipah-e-Sahaba became Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Jafaria rebranded as Islami Tehreek Pakistan, and Jaish-e-Muhammad resurfaced as Khuddam-ul-Islam. These renamed entities were subsequently banned again by the government.

By 2006, escalating militant activity in Balochistan led to the proscription of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Between 2006 and 2010, the insurgency intensified, prompting the government to ban additional separatist and militant outfits including the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), Lashkar-e-Balochistan (LeB), Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF), and the Baloch Musallah Defa Tanzeem (BMDC).

Left to right wings proscribed entities

Each year, new organizations are added to the list of banned entities based on provincial recommendations, intelligence reports, and sometimes US State Department advisories.

Since 2000 till date, the Pakistani government has banned 82 organizations.

In 2024, the Zainabiyoun Brigade (ZB), Majeed Brigade (MB) of Balochistan, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, and the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) were the latest additions to the list of proscribed organizations.

Political parties have also faced restrictions since Pakistan’s inception.

The Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP), led by Sajjad Zaheer, was the first political party to be banned in 1954. Later, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League was banned in 1971, followed by Khan Abdul Wali Khan’s National Awami Party (NAP) in 1975.