Alleged TLP supporter arrested for threatening CM Maryam on X

Islamabad police have arrested an X user, Muhammad Zafran, for allegedly issuing threats to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on the social media platform. The chief minister had reposted the threatening message on her X account, prompting swift action from the authorities.

According to police sources, Zafran, reportedly a supporter of the religio-political group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), was detained in Gilgit and later transferred to Adiala Jail on a 10-day physical remand.

An FIR had already been registered against him, with officials revealing that he was also wanted in a separate terrorism-related case filed in 2021 at the Tarnol Police Station.

In his post, Zafran had suggested that a person like Mumtaz Qadri should be part of CM Maryam’s security team, an apparent death threat referencing the 2011 assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by his security guard over alleged blasphemy.

Following his arrest, Zafran’s X account was restricted by the platform.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has intensified its crackdown on TLP supporters and protesters involved in recent demonstrations in Muridke and Lahore, where several individuals have been accused of attacking police officers and spreading extremist content online.