Azma Bukhari reveals that assets worth Rs 23.4 billion have been frozen, along with 92 bank accounts.
LAHORE:
The noose surrounding the TLP tightened further after police arrested 90 of its alleged financiers, raising legal questions about how (and under what law) police applied the ban retrospectively.
Furthermore, TLP workers, along with scores of ordinary citizens, have faced detention and arrest since Monday to prevent any gathering on the death anniversary of the late Khadim Husain Rizvi.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Information Minister Azma Bukhari revealed that assets worth Rs 23.4 billion had been frozen, along with 92 bank accounts.
He said 90 financiers involved in funding the banned group had been booked, while 31 additional FIRs were registered for spreading hate speeches and incitement on social media platforms.
The TLP was declared a proscribed organization the last week of October. The registration of FIRs against those who financed the organization before this ban raises serious questions about the legality of the measure.
The Express PAkGazette asked the police and the information minister to explain how people who financed a legally operating entity were being charged, but no response was received till filing this report.
Dozens of people have been arrested across the city accused of having links to the TLP to prevent any possible gathering on the anniversary of the party’s founder’s death. The widespread arrests reportedly did not even spare those who had no direct or indirect connection to the group.
One such individual, Faisal Ilyas, a shop owner in Mustafa Town, was arrested simply for sharing a wall with a neighboring shopkeeper who happens to be a strong supporter of the TLP. When the police were asked about the logic behind this arrest (given that the victim’s aversion to TLP was well known in the area), officials simply responded that they were acting on a list provided by intelligence agencies, distancing themselves from responsibility.
Senior advocate Azhar Siddique, speaking to The Express PAkGazette, said it was “completely illegal” to arrest someone for funding a legitimate entity, adding that the laws cannot be applied retrospectively. He said that the law does not contemplate such excesses. Even detaining people under Section 3 of the MPO, he said, was not entirely legal. “How can you keep someone in a police station on a whim?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, addressing the press, Azma stated that during the operations against the organization, a significant quantity of modern weapons, bulletproof vests and ammunition have been recovered.
He further stated that 84% of the imams of Punjab have been registered and the process will reach 100% in the coming days.
