Saad Rizvi believes the TLP will be a “kingmaker” in the upcoming general election.

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Hussain Rizvi, who was recently released from prison after nearly seven months in detention, sees his party as a “kingmaker” in the 2023 general elections, predicting that its vote bank will likely get a massive boost in Punjab and Sindh if the elections are free and fair.

In an exclusive interview with Newsweek Pakistan, Rizvi stated, “No opposition will be able to function, and no party will be able to form government without the support of the TLP,” and went on to claim that his party’s vote banks in Punjab and Sindh had increased significantly since the last general elections.

“The TLP has strong support in both provinces, and its vote bank has grown significantly since the last elections,” he told the magazine.

When questioned about other political parties approaching him after his release and the possibility of the TLP creating electoral coalitions with them, Rizvi stated that they were willing to speak with all parties. However, he noted that a final decision on the topic will be made after taking into account ground realities in advance of the elections.

In response to another query concerning women joining his party, Rizvi stated that they were prepared to provide women as much as 50% participation in the TLP.

“We will not only urge women to join the party on special seats, but we also intend to bring them on regular seats,” he stated.

Rizvi’s remarks came less than a month after he was released from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on November 18 as part of a deal with the authorities. The accord came after days of protest by his party’s workers, who had also battled with police and were marching towards the capital. The agreement’s specifics were not made public.

Police had arrested Rizvi on April 12 as a “pre-emptive measure” ahead of the TLP’s planned protests as the party’s April 20 deadline for the implementation of its demands — including the expulsion of the French ambassador, the severing of ties with France, and the boycott of French products over blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) — approached. The next day, police filed a first information report (FIR) against the TLP chief in accordance with clauses of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

On April 16, his name was added to the Fourth Schedule, a list of prohibited people accused of terrorism or sectarianism under the ATA.

Rizvi’s arrest sparked three days of violent protests across the nation, after which the party was barred under anti-terror legislation. This period of the protest had reached a peak when TLP employees and officers battled, with the former taking 11 policemen prisoner, who were freed when discussions between the government and the TLP began.

The demonstration was called off on April 20 after a second round of discussions between the government and the TLP, with Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid declaring that the government will propose a resolution on the expulsion of the French ambassador in the National Assembly (NA) that day.

On the same day, a session of the NA was summoned, and a motion was tabled to examine and decide on the expulsion of the French ambassador from Pakistan. However, the assembly has not taken up the issue again since then.

However, Prime Minister Imran Khan stated at the time that the government had no intention of removing the ban on the TLP.