The Lahore High Court on Tuesday asked the federal interior ministry to report on the whereabouts of TLP leaders Saad Rizvi and Ans Rizvi, after 30 station house officers (SHOs), the heads of police stations, in Punjab each said they had not arrested the two brothers. The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is a proscribed party, meaning it is banned. The ministry has been directed to file its reply to the petition by October 27.
Justice Muhammad Jawad Zafar heard a petition filed by Sarwat Fatima, a leader of the banned party, which challenges the alleged detention of the Rizvi brothers and asks for their recovery. Advocate Burhan Moazam Malik appeared for the petitioner. Assistant Advocate General Farrukh Khan Lodhi submitted reports on behalf of the SHOs of the 30 police stations where 54 cases had been registered against the TLP leadership.
Police say they did not make the arrests
All of the SHOs denied having arrested the brothers. Their reports also showed that Saad and Ans had been declared proclaimed offenders by the relevant antiterrorism courts, in four and five first information reports (FIRs) respectively. A proclaimed offender is a person a court has formally declared wanted, and an FIR is the initial police record of a complaint or case.
The brothers went missing after a police operation against TLP protesters near Muridke on October 13, 2025. Since then, the central question in the case has been who has custody of them.
Competing claims over custody
The police have said the brothers fled to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and have denied that the two men are in the custody of security agencies. The TLP has alleged the opposite, saying that the agencies are holding them. Neither version has been confirmed, and the court has not yet ruled on the petition.
The interior ministry's written reply, due by October 27, is the next step in the case. Until it is filed, the claims of the police and the TLP remain unverified.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 13, 2025: Police carried out an operation against TLP protesters near Muridke, after which the Rizvi brothers went missing.
- Tuesday: The Lahore High Court sought a report from the interior ministry, and 30 SHOs denied arresting the brothers.
- October 27: Deadline set by the court for the interior ministry's reply to the petition.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore High Court ne federal interior ministry se TLP leaders Saad Rizvi aur Ans Rizvi ke thikane ke bare mein report talab ki hai. Punjab police ke 30 thanon ke SHOs ne kaha ke unhon ne dono bhaiyon ko giraftar nahi kiya. Police kehti hai ke woh AJK chale gaye, jab ke TLP ka dawa hai ke unhein agencies ne rakha hua hai. Ministry ka jawab 27 October tak aana hai, aur us se pehle dono taraf ke dawe tasdeeq shuda nahi hain.
