Pakistan military fires on TLP protesters in Lahore; 1,000+ killed, Saad Rizvi injured, media censorship widespread. Photo: X.
Pakistan’s military opened fire on supporters of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) movement during pro-Palestine demonstrations, resulting in what some reports suggest could be over 1,000 fatalities. The crackdown came amid Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Egypt, where he attended the Gaza ceasefire summit and praised US President Donald Trump as a “candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
According to Ryan Grim of Drop Site, the military’s actions near Lahore amounted to a mass killing. Witnesses described “hundreds of bodies left in the streets,” later removed by trucks. Grim reported that security forces used extreme force as a deterrent against protests opposing Pakistan’s normalization with Israel and to reaffirm domestic control.
“The scale of the violence appears intended not just to stop the march but to send a clear warning to any potential dissenters,” Grim explained.
The TLP-led march began in Lahore and was meant to culminate outside the US Embassy in Islamabad. Authorities established barricades along key routes, with protesters attempting to remove containers set up to block roads. Security forces responded with live ammunition, leading to mass casualties.
Among the wounded is TLP leader Saad Rizvi, who was reportedly shot while urging security forces to stop their assault. His current whereabouts remain unknown, with police stating that searches are underway to apprehend “fugitives” hiding in nearby neighborhoods.
Coverage of the crackdown within Pakistan remains tightly controlled. State-aligned channels have largely churned out the government narrative, portraying the protesters as armed aggressors, while independent journalism continues to face heavy censorship under Pakistan’s de facto military rule.
“Despite widespread documentation of state violence, official channels in Pakistan continue to suppress independent reporting, limiting public access to unfiltered information,” Grim noted.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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