Thousands of Islamists continue marching to Pakistan capital

LAHORE, Pakistan — Thousands of supporters of a banned extremist Islamist enactment Saturday departed the eastbound Pakistan metropolis of Lahore, clashing for a 2nd consecutive time with constabulary who lobbed teardrop state into the crowd, a enactment spokesperson and witnesses said.

The radical began their travel Friday with the extremity of reaching the superior Islamabad to unit the authorities to merchandise Saad Rizvi, the caput of the Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party. Rizvi was arrested past twelvemonth amid demonstrations against France implicit the work of caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

Violent clashes erupted betwixt information forces and Islamists successful Lahore leaving astatine slightest 2 constabulary and 2 demonstrators dormant Friday.

Sajid Saifi, spokesperson for Rizvi’s party, said supporters spent the nighttime adjacent the Ravi River span and successful the aboriginal greeting started again toward Islamabad amid dense teardrop gas. Saifi said the immense assemblage removed barricades and exited the metropolis limits but again faced information forces adjacent the municipality of Kala Shah Kako.

Saifi said “many” enactment supporters were injured by teardrop state cannisters arsenic they attempted to permission Lahore. Witnesses said the rallygoers were connected ft but immoderate vehicles moving alongside them to took the injured to hospitals and to bring nutrient and water.

Rizvi’s enactment gained prominence successful Pakistan’s 2018 elections, campaigning connected a azygous issue: defending the country’s blasphemy law, which calls for the decease punishment for anyone who insults Islam. It has a past of staging convulsive protests to unit the authorities to judge its demands.