A march in response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal has turned violent in the state of Punjab
Violent clashes between Pakistani police and members of the Islamist group Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan at an anti-Israel protest in the border state of Punjab have resulted in the deaths of five people, local media reported on Monday.
The group organized the march in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of a ceasefire deal to end the Gaza war. It also opposes Pakistan’s support of the peace initiative.
Demonstrators shot and killed a police officer and wounded others, Punjab Police Inspector General Usman Anwar told newspaper The Nation.
Three protesters and one passerby were also killed in the clashes before the demonstrators were dispersed, the outet added.
The clashes lasted more than three hours, according to media reports.
Around 50 police personnel were badly injured in the clashes, according to a report by the newspaper Dawn.
The march, from Lahore near the Indian border to the capital Islamabad, covered a distance of nearly 400km (248 miles) and began on Friday, Reuters said.
According to officials cited by Dawn, 1,500 policemen in anti-riot gear, supported by four armored personnel carriers and water cannons, surrounded the protest camp along the Grand Trunk Road, one of the oldest roads linking Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent.
Pakistani authorities said numerous protesters were arrested. Tehrik-e-Labaik claimed that police fired on its supporters, resulting in several deaths and injuries, Reuters reported. The group’s leader, Saad Rizvi, was also injured, receiving three bullet wounds, according to the report.
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