Who Is Pakistan's TLF Chief Saad Rizvi, Who Sustained Bullet Wounds?

Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore descended into chaos on Monday as police clashed with supporters of the hardline Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) during an anti-Israel march. Streets turned into battle zones, vehicles burned, and the city ground to a halt as the group attempted to march toward Islamabad in defiance of government orders.

At least one police officer was killed and several others wounded when protesters reportedly opened fire on security forces. The TLP, in turn, claimed that several of its own members were shot dead. Among the injured was the party's leader, Saad Hussain Rizvi, who, according to TLP sources, sustained multiple bullet wounds and remains in critical condition, Associated Press reported.

Moments before being injured, Rizvi had appeared in a video shared by the party, pleading with authorities to "stop firing" and calling for negotiations. Gunfire crackled in the background as he urged calm - a striking contrast to the fiery oratorical style that made him one of Pakistan's most polarising figures.

Who is Saad Hussain Rizvi?

Saad Hussain Rizvi, 31, is the chief (Ameer) of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a far-right Islamist political party founded by his father, the late Khadim Hussain Rizvi, in 2015. When his father died in 2020, Saad - then a little-known cleric - swiftly assumed leadership of the party. In the years since, he has transformed TLP into one of Pakistan's most disruptive and politically influential movements.

Rizvi's base lies primarily in Punjab, but his influence stretches far beyond. In the 2024 general elections, TLP garnered nearly 2.9 million votes, making it the third-largest party in Punjab and the fourth-largest nationwide - a remarkable feat for an organisation often viewed as a street movement rather than a mainstream political player.

A preacher turned political firebrand

Like his father, Rizvi is a hardcore supporter of Pakistan's stringent blasphemy laws and has positioned himself as a "defender of the Prophet's honour." His rallies often draw tens of thousands of followers, many of them young, religiously motivated men. But these gatherings frequently spiral into violence.

Rizvi has led multiple anti-government marches - from protests demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador over blasphemous caricatures in 2021 to current demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza. Each time, clashes with police have turned deadly, prompting temporary bans on his party and repeated arrests of its leaders.

His rhetoric, however, has extended beyond Pakistan's borders. In 2018, Rizvi was convicted in absentia by a Dutch court for incitement to murder after allegedly calling for the death of a far-right Dutch politician who planned a cartoon contest depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Current Protest

The current wave of violence erupted when Rizvi's followers began what they called a "long march" from Lahore to Islamabad, vowing to stage a pro-Palestinian rally outside the U.S. Embassy. Police attempted to block their advance with barricades and shipping containers, but protesters broke through - sparking gun battles and chaos across Lahore and nearby towns.