LAHORE: At least three people were martyred and several injured when Lahore’s Yateem Khana Chowk turned into a battlefield as clashes between police and banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan continued on Sunday.
The Punjab Police, without taking the name of banned TLP, on Twitter blamed the miscreants for attacking Nawankot Police station where Rangers and police officers were trapped inside the police station and DSP Nawankot kidnapped and taken to the markaz.
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) April 18, 2021
The statement added that at least one oil tanker with 50,000 litres of petrol has been taken by the miscreants to the markaz. The miscreants were armed and attacked Rangers/police with petrol bombs.
It further said that police and Rangers pushed them back and took back the possession of the police station. The police did not plan or conduct any operation against the mosque or the madressa. The action, if any, was in self defence and to protect public property.
Meanwhile, according to the spokesperson of the banned TLP, the clashes began after police initiated an operation to disperse the protesters at the Yateem Khana Chowk. He said that the TLP workers had been staging a protest at the Chowk for the last few days.
Social media sites like Twitter and facebook are abuzz with users posting videos showing people carrying away injured. The TLP activists were also seen wielding sticks and hurling stones at the police.
