October 24, 2025
By Rehan Piracha & Ahmed Saeed
LAHORE
The Federal Ministry of Interior, on Friday, issued a notification banning the Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) by placing it on the list of proscribed organisations under the anti-terrorism law in the country.
“The federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is connected with and concerned in terrorism,” reads the notification from the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control. “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11B(1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997), the federal government hereby orders TLP to be a proscribed organisation for the purpose of the Act and lists the aforesaid organisation in the first schedule to the said Act,” the notification concluded.
The development comes a day after the federal cabinet approved a proposal to proscribe the party under the Anti-Terrorism Act, following days of nationwide protests that claimed the lives of several protesters and police officers and paralysed major highways and city roads from Karachi to Islamabad.
‘TLP dissolution possible only through SC reference’
However, the notification would neither lead to dissolution of the TLP as a political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) nor the immediate de-seating of its lone member of the provincial assembly from Punjab, Mehmood Ahmed, who was elected from the PP-55 constituency of Narowal district in the 2024 general elections.
The process for banning a political party in Pakistan is a two-stage constitutional and legal procedure involving the executive and the judiciary.
“Where the Federal Government is satisfied on the basis of a reference from the Commission or information received from any other source that a political party is a foreign-aided political party or has been formed or is operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan or is indulging in terrorism, the Government shall, by a notification in the official Gazette, make such declaration,” reads Section 212 of the Election Act 2017, titled ‘Dissolution of Political Parties.’
However, this executive declaration is not final. Under Article 17(2) of the Constitution, the federal government has the power to refer this matter to the Supreme Court by declaring that the party “has been formed or is operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan.“
“The interior ministry would have to next approach the federal law ministry, which would have to file a reference with the Supreme Court for dissolution of the TLP,” Kanwar Dilshad, former secretary of the ECP, told Voicepk.
Within 15 days, the government must refer the matter to the Supreme Court for a definitive legal ruling. The party is only formally dissolved if the Supreme Court upholds the government’s declaration, making the judiciary’s decision the ultimate authority in the matter.
The dissolution of a party has severe consequences for its members who hold public office. “Any member of Parliament or a Provincial Assembly from the dissolved party is immediately disqualified for the remainder of their term,” Dilshad said.
Placed on proscribed list for second time
This is the second time that the TLP has been placed on the schedule list of proscribed organisations.
On April 15, 2021, the Punjab government banned TLP following violent protests that resulted in the deaths of several policemen. The provincial government requested the ban, which the federal cabinet approved, enforcing it under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
On April 29, 2021, TLP filed a review petition to lift the ban. Despite this, the party remained eligible to participate in elections, as it was not delisted by the ECP.
In October 2021, TLP organized additional protests, leading the government to agree to lift the ban on November 7. Over a week later, they released the party’s detained chief, Saad Rizvi.
In 2024, the party chief contested the elections. Around 2.89 million people voted for TLP in 2024, which represents 0.76 million more votes compared to the 2018 general elections, though the party’s overall electoral performance remained limited.
What does placement on first schedule mean for TLP
Pakistan’s ATA does not explicitly stop banned outfits from contesting elections. However, to register a political party, the Election Commission of Pakistan requires a no-objection certificate from the Interior Ministry, confirming that the relevant party is not involved in terrorist activities in any capacity.
According to the ATA, the Federal Government has to take the following steps against a proscribed organization: seal its offices, freeze its bank accounts, seize all literature, posters, banners or printed, electronic, digital or other material, and stop the dissemination of their content or narrative through the press.
The proscribed organization is required to submit all accounts of its income and expenditure for its political and social welfare activities, and disclose all funding sources to the competent authority designated by the Federal Government.
Given these limitations, it becomes extremely difficult for a political party to grow and operate freely. Most banned parties prefer to shun their previous identity and rebrand themselves. In the past, when Lashkar-e-Taiba was banned after being accused of the Mumbai attacks, it floated a political party, the Milli Muslim League, to contest the 2018 elections. However, the party was not allowed to register with the ECP, and its members ended up contesting the elections as independent candidates.
Political parties banned in Pakistan’s history
The history of Pakistan is marked by the suppression of various political parties, often on charges of anti-state activities, separatism, or posing a threat to the established government.
The Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP), formed by Sajjad Zaheer, was an early target. It was banned in 1954 for its alleged involvement in a military coup plot led by Major General Akbar Khan, which led to the imprisonment of key figures, including poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Following the ban, the party operated underground using its student wing, the Democratic Students Federation, which was also subsequently banned.
The Awami League had its roots in the All India Muslim League but evolved into the leading Bengali nationalist party under Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. After winning a landslide victory in East Pakistan in the 1970 elections, political negotiations with West Pakistani leaders failed. The party was banned in March 1971 by President Yahya Khan, who declared its members traitors. This crackdown was a direct precursor to the protests, military action, and eventual creation of Bangladesh.
The National Awami Party (NAP) was Pakistan’s first major leftist coalition, uniting Pashtun, Baloch, Sindhi, and Bengali nationalists. Initially banned after the 1958 martial law, it later split into pro-China and pro-Soviet factions. The larger faction, NAP-Wali, won significant seats in Balochistan in the 1970 elections. In 1975, the Bhutto regime accused the NAP of involvement in a political murder and of supporting Baloch separatists. The Supreme Court upheld the government’s ban, ruling that the party was working for an independent Pakhtunistan and Greater Balochistan.
More recently, the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Aresar (JSQM-A), a Sindhi nationalist faction advocating for a separate state called Sindhudesh, was banned in 2020. The government justified the ban by linking the political party to militant outfits like the Sindhu Desh Liberation Army, which was accused of attacks on infrastructure and ethnic killings. However, the JSQM-A and human rights groups contested this, arguing that the party was a non-violent political movement unjustly targeted by the state, which had also allegedly engaged in the enforced disappearances of its members.