ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Sunday urged the religious-political Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party to call off or postpone its protest march toward Islamabad, saying the country needed national unity as its military confronted heightened security challenges along the Afghan border.
The march, which began in the eastern city of Lahore earlier this week, has advanced to the town of Muridke, about 33 kilometers away, as TLP supporters vow to continue toward the capital. The group says it plans to stage a demonstration outside the US embassy to express solidarity with Palestinians.
On Sunday, authorities partially reopened key highways and restored mobile Internet in parts of Islamabad and the adjoining city of Rawalpindi after days of restrictions. However, several major intersections, including Faizabad, remained closed for a third consecutive day.
The TLP’s protest march is taking place amid an unprecedented escalation of hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country’s east. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for the assault. On Sunday, the Afghan Taliban said they had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations in response to what it said were repeated violations of its territory and airspace. Pakistan’s army has confirmed 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 wounded.
