ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to try Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) head Khadim Rizvi for treason and terrorism charges, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday.
"The government has decided to initiate legal action against leaders of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been charged under terrorism and treason laws at the Civil Lines Police station in Lahore," Chaudhry told reporters in Lahore.
"Afzal Hussain Qadri, who is the second most important TLP leader, has been charged over treason and terrorism allegations in Gujrat," he said.
Another TLP leader, Inayatul Haq Shah, has been charged under treason and anti-terrorism laws in Rawalpindi while Hafiz Farooqul Hassan also been charged under similiar laws, Chaudhry added.
The TLP staged countrywide protests last month against the Supreme Court's acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman facing blasphemy charges.
The protests paralysed routine life in major cities of the country for three days forcing the government to sign a controversial deal.
Last wee, police took top TLP leaders including Rizvi into protective custody later last month when they refused to withdraw their call for yet another protest in Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh on November 25.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said that citizens had a right to protest but they should remain within the limits permitted by the Constitution of Pakistan.
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