• Huge cache of foreign currency, around 2kg gold recovered from Rizvi’s home
• FIA says outfit’s financiers will be placed on stop list
• Punjab police register over 20 FIRs against TLP leadership, say Rizvi escaped during crackdown
• Mufti Muneeb, HRCP call for probe into ‘excessive force’ against protesters
LAHORE: The authorities have launched a money-laundering investigation against Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan chief Saad Rizvi after “huge sums” of foreign currency were allegedly recovered from his residence in Lahore during a raid by the law enforcement agencies.
The Punjab police said the raid was conducted by the provincial police, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), adding that all items, including the gold ornaments, were confiscated. The raid at the residence of the TLP chief came after the crackdown on the outfit’s march on Sunday night. Police said Mr Rizvi had escaped during the crackdown in Muridke.
A senior police official said the law enforcers were shocked to find such a large amount of foreign currency, gold, and silver at the residence, as the TLP chief did not run any business before the formation of the radical outfit.
In light of these findings, the authorities expanded the scope of their investigation to acquire details of bank accounts operated by the TLP chief, his son, and other family members to assess the total movable and immovable assets he had obtained under the TLP banner.
The total currency allegedly recovered from the residence amounted to Rs110 million, including 50,000 Indian rupees.
In a separate statement, the FIA said it has initiated legal and financial actions against a religious group involved in anti-state protests and violent activities, adding that the accounts and assets of several important officials and workers of the religious group were being examined based on evidence.
According to the statement, “The FIA has frozen several bank accounts that were allegedly being used to fund violent protests.” Similarly, key individuals involved in funding the TLP were being placed on the stop list.
TLP headquarters ‘no-go’ area
According to a police official, who shared initial findings with Dawn, the TLP purchased dozens of properties in the vicinity of its headquarters — the hub of its activities — on Multan Road, making it a ‘no-go area’ for the LEAs and the general public. He said that the TLP chief had created a team of his loyal extremists and accommodated them by purchasing various houses at throwaway prices.
“Several streets connected to the TLP’s main office have become a hub of the organisation’s trusted workers/supporters,” he said, adding that a separate team of the TLP was provided an office equipped with the latest gadgets to run and handle social and regular media campaigns. He said a dedicated team of highly trained activists was made available by the TLP to respond quickly to police operations. The Punjab police officially shared the detailed inventory of recovered valuables from the TLP chief’s residence.
They included 1.92kg of gold, 898g of silver, 69 branded wristwatches, 28 gold bangles weighing 445g, 12 bracelets (490g), 24 necklaces, chains, and lockets, and 46 gold rings (355g). Similarly, the raiding team also recovered one silver crown and 32 silver rings from the house.
22 FIRs against TLP
On the other hand, the Punjab police lodged at least 22 FIRs against TLP chief Saad Rizvi and his violent supporters across the province on various serious offences. In the primary FIR, Muridke police booked over 300 suspects on serious charges, ranging from terrorism to murder.
Besides Mr Rizvi, his brother Anas Rizvi and many central leaders were also booked for inciting hate and instigating workers to raise anti-state slogans. The FIR said Inspector Shahzad Nawaaz was allegedly kidnapped and thrashed by a TLP mob, leaving him injured. It also accused Saad Rizvi of shooting the inspector in his abdomen, leaving him critically injured. The police officer later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
It said that the TLP mob attacked the policemen with clubs, iron rods and sharp-edged weapons containing nails and injured several, adding that the TLP supporters were armed with lethal weapons and they opened indiscriminate fire at policemen, injuring many of them.
As per the reports, the Pakpattan, Sahiwal, and Chichawatni police lodged three cases against Mr Rizvi, his supporters and workers under the anti-terrorism law and other offences. Another FIR alleged that Mr Rizvi’s speech, broadcast live via social media from Burawla Chowk, incited his followers to block roads, shut down markets, block traffic, and disrupt public order.
Separately, the Gujrat police also booked at least 120 TLP activists on terrorism charges. The FIR was lodged with the Rehmania police on the report of SI Aftab Rasool.
Calls for probe
Meanwhile, renowned cleric Mufti Muneebur Rehman urged the formation of a judicial commission, led by a serving superior judge, to investigate the crackdown on the TLP to disperse the protesters.
“There is a growing demand that a judge of the high court or the SC should lead a thorough and independent investigation into this heart-wrenching and brutal incident. The aim is to identify those responsible and to recommend appropriate punishments based on the findings,” he said while reading out a joint declaration issued at the conference of clerics in Karachi. He also urged the Punjab government and administrations across the province to hand over the bodies of the deceased TLP workers to their families and to cease raids on the homes of its activists.
Mufti Muneeb also urged the TLP leaders to reconsider their strategy and refrain from resorting to violence, instead focusing on securing their rightful place through the democratic parliamentary system. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the it was deeply concerned by the events that had unfolded since Oct 8, culminating in violent clashes between security forces and the TLP, causing multiple deaths and casualties among protesters and policemen.
“We are equally concerned by the lack of transparency and credible, independent information surrounding the operation, providing which was the government’s responsibility. While state authorities have neglected to address the TLP’s consistent role in promoting hate speech and inciting mob violence against individuals and groups, particularly religious minorities, this does not justify the alleged use of excessive force,” it said.
Both the Constitution as well as international law mandate that security forces, even when dispersing violent assemblies, use the minimum necessary force, it said.
Imran Ayub in Karachi and Waseem Ashraf Butt in Gujrat also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2025
