Pakistan’s Police Brave Islamist Violence — Alone
Despite being a frontline counterextremist force, the police in Pakistan suffer from an image problem – and directly bear the brunt of Islamists.
April 15, 2021
Pakistani paramilitary troops stand guard after clearing a road blocked by angry supporters of Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan, a radical Islamist political party, as a protest against the arrest of their party leader Saad Rizvi, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
Credit: AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary
Advertisement
For days, police in Pakistan have braved rioting mobs of a far-right religious group, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). While Pakistan has decided to ban the TLP after the latest wave of deadly protests, it is unlikely that the ill-fated police will see any respite.