Lahore, October 29, 2025: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday dismissed claims that 600 members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) were killed during recent unrest, saying there was “no evidence” to support the figure.
Speaking at the Chief Minister’s House during a meeting with the Ittehad Bainul Muslimeen Committee, Maryam asked, “If 600 people were killed, then where are the bodies? Someone must have made a video — where did the corpses go?”
She said that religious parties have the right to engage in politics but not to use religion as a cover for violence. “Blocking roads, burning property, taking up arms, or taking lives in the name of faith is unacceptable,” she said.
The chief minister said the government remained in service to religious scholars and was working to ensure public safety. “Some groups were created in the past for political purposes, to bring others down. But ulema play a vital role in improving society. We are united, but cannot allow anyone to use religion as a shield for aggression,” she remarked.
Referring to recent violence, she said that the group’s leaders incited followers to attack unarmed citizens and law enforcement personnel. “How can someone who beats police officers with nail-studded sticks call himself a lover of the Prophet (PBUH)? Their leadership instructed followers to block roads and break bones — is this Islam?”
Maryam Nawaz urged religious scholars to guide the government on handling armed mobs. “If a group takes to the streets with weapons and threatens violence, is that not bringing disgrace to our religion and our nation?” she asked.
She said the word “Labbaik” is sacred, expressing readiness to serve Allah, but it was now being misused by a violent group. “Religious parties have every right to participate in politics, but they will not be allowed to harm innocent people or paralyse life,” she asserted.
The chief minister revealed that law enforcement had recovered large quantities of arms and cash from TLP offices. “Even our security agencies do not keep such weapons. What was all this for? Clearly, it was meant for use against the state,” she said.
Maryam added that the group’s actions contradicted the very message of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and that their offices were being used to mislead followers. “Ulema condemn such behaviour, but condemnation alone is not enough — people deserve clarity,” she stressed.
Drawing a comparison, she said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was never stopped from holding rallies, but its downfall began when it attacked the state. “When they assaulted the very army that defended Pakistan against India, they brought ruin upon themselves,” she said.
Maryam Nawaz strongly rejected online claims — allegedly made from Adiala Jail — that 600 people were killed in the crackdown. “If so many were killed, there would be videos, funerals, and hospital records. Six hundred bodies would make a mountain. Bring me evidence, and I will hold my police accountable,” she said.
She added that Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman had requested a verified list of the injured, which the government would release, but stressed that “false claims of mass killings are unacceptable.”
The CM said the government had handed mosques and madrasas back to community leaders to ensure they were managed responsibly. She announced a monthly honorarium of Rs10,000 for Punjab’s 65,000 imams, with a proposal from Nawaz Sharif to increase it to Rs25,000.
She reminded ulema that the Loudspeaker Act must be respected, allowing its use only for azan and Friday sermons.
Concluding, she appealed to scholars to help the government “separate misguided elements from true religious movements” and prevent further violence in the name of faith.
