Saad Hussain Rizvi
سعد حسین رضوی
Image of Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi
2nd Leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
Assumed office
21 November 2020
Preceded byKhadim Hussain Rizvi
Personal
Born21 September 1994
Attock, Punjab, Pakistan
ReligionIslam
NationalityPakistani
Parent
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
MovementBarelvi
Political partyTehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (2020-present)
EducationDars-i Nizami
OccupationPolitician
RelativesAnas Hussain Rizvi (brother)

Saad Hussain Rizvi (Urdu: سعد حسین رضوی) is a Pakistani politician and the 2nd leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP),[1][2][3] a far-right Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist and extremist political party, succeeding his late father Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who founded it.[4]

Early life and education

Saad Hussain Rizvi was born on November 21, 1994[5] into a Punjabi Awan family from Pindi Gheb, Attock District, Punjab, Pakistan to Khadim Hussain Rizvi. He brought up with his younger brother Anas Hussain Rizvi and four sisters.[6]

Saad Rizvi initially moved to Lahore’s Jamia Masjid Rehmatallil Alameen, where his father was a preacher. He then attended the Royal Grammar School and joined his father's Madrassa Abu Zar Ghaffari for Hifz-e-Qur’an. Later, he studied Qirat and Tajweed for a year. After matriculation, he attended various madrasas in Pakistan to continue his Islamic education, eventually studying the Dars-i Nizami curriculum for eight years. He is also fluent in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Punjabi languages.[7]

Political career

Rizvi joined Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan in 2015 as a founding member. He served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the party. In November 2020, after the death of his father Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Saad Rizvi was appointed as the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.[1]

2021 protests

On 12 April 2021, the Government of Pakistan arrested Rizvi in Lahore and charged under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (ATA), which caused unrest.[8][9][10][11][12]

Atiq Ahmed, the public relations officer of Punjab Prisons said on 20 April that Rizvi had been released. Lahore's Jail Superintendent Asad Warraich, however, said he did not know of any such release and they had received no order to release him.[13] Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad later confirmed that Rizvi had not been freed.[14]

A review board of the Lahore High Court rejected extending Saad's detention on 8 July, stating the government had no evidence to keep him in custody.[15] His detention was however later extended by the government for 90 days under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.[16] The Lahore High Court ruled his detention illegal on 1 October, in response to a petition filed by his uncle.[17] The federal review board of the Supreme Court however extended his detention by a month on the next day.[18]

The Government of Punjab later appealed to the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court's decision, but it handed over the case on 12 October to a two-member special bench of the Lahore High Court to decide.[19] The TLP later again took to protests to demand his release.[20] After a deal reached between the Government of Pakistan and the TLP, the ban on the organization was removed and Rizvi's name was removed from the terrorism watchlist on 12 November.[21] He was released from prison on 18 November.[22][23]

Controversial speeches

The image of Rizvi remains controversial due to his speeches, promoting hate and violence against minorities, particularly Ahmedis.[24] Oftentimes, he has made vituperative remarks against minorities and people accused of blasphemy, threatening to wipe him out who does blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam.[25] During the 2023 Quran burnings in Sweden, he demanded from the Government of Pakistan that war be declared against Sweden to put such blasphemous incidents to an end. To deal with the severe economic crisis Pakistan is going through, Rizvi, in one of his speeches,suggested to the Government of Pakistan that there was no need to undertake talks with nations and IMF for economic aid, rather the Prime Minister and the Cabinet should take the Quran in one hand, the nuclear bomb in the other and threaten other nations for money.[26] In his speech Rizvi stated:

"They are sending the prime minister (Shehbaz Sharif), his entire cabinet and chief of army staff to other countries to beg for economic aid… I ask why are they doing this? They said the Pakistani economy is in danger… Instead, I advise them to take Quran in one hand and the atom bomb suitcase in the other, and take the cabinet to Sweden, and say that we have come for the security of Quran. If this entire universe does not fall under your feet, then you can change my name".[27]

Public image

In 2023, a nationally representative Gallup Pakistan survey conducted in June, National Public Opinion Poll, showed that Rizvi had a 38% approval rating among the respondents, making him the second most appreciated leader in the country after Imran Khan with 60%, and ahead of veteran politicians such as Nawaz Sharif (with 36%).[28]

References

  1. 1 2 "Who is TLP's new chief?". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Tehreek-e-Labbaik: New far-right campaigns against 'blasphemy'". www.aljazeera.com.
  3. ↑ Dawn.com (4 September 2018). "'We will not bow to extremists': Govt hits back after vicious campaign targets Atif Mian".
  4. ↑ "TLP Chiefs Son Hafiz Saad Rizvi Appointed As New Head Of The Party". UrduPoint. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "MM News". 21 September 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Lodhi, Adnan (19 November 2020). "TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi passes away". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Sattar, Abdul (21 April 2021). "سعد حسین رضوی کون ہیں؟". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Dawn.com (15 April 2021). "Government bans TLP under anti-terrorism law". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Banned party TLP's chief Saad Rizvi placed on fourth schedule, assets frozen". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik fuels anti-France violence in Pakistans". France 24. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Pakistan has banned TLP. What will happen next? | SAMAA". Samaa TV. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Explained: Who are the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, the extremist group behind the ongoing crisis in Pak?". 27 April 2021.
  13. ↑ Gabol, Imran (20 April 2021). "Conflicting reports emerge on TLP chief Saad Rizvi's release from Lahore jail". dawn.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "TLP chief Saad Rizvi remains under arrest under terrorism law: Rasheed". The Express Tribune. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Review board orders release of TLP chief". The Express Tribune. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Plea against Saad Rizvi's detention disposed of". Dawn. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  17. ↑ Bilal, Rana (1 October 2021). "LHC declares TLP chief Saad Rizvi's detention illegal". Dawn. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Saeed, Aamir (3 October 2021). "Supreme Court extends detention of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan leader". Arab News. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Bilal, Rana (12 October 2021). "SC remands Saad Rizvi's detention case back to LHC for two-member special bench to decide". Dawn. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  20. ↑ Bukhari, Mubasher; Shahzad, Ashif (22 October 2021). "Three Pakistani police killed in clashes with banned Islamists". Reuters. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  21. ↑ Bukhari, Mubasher (11 November 2021). "Pakistan takes Islamist off terrorism list under deal to end protests". Reuters. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  22. ↑ Bukhari, Mubasher (18 November 2021). "Pakistan frees hardline Islamist under a deal to end violence". Reuters.
  23. ↑ "Pakistan frees hardline Islamist leader Saad Hussain Rizvi under deal to end violence". India Today. Reuters. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  24. ↑ Fatima, Areeba; Khan, Umer Zaib; Khan, Areeba Fatimaand Umer Zaib Khan and Umer Zaib (4 April 2022). "Worrying Levels Of Support For Terrorist Organisations On Facebook". Digital Rights Monitor. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  25. ↑ Pk, Voice (24 July 2023). "TLP calls for protests on Youm-e-Aashur against Ahmadiyya community". Voicepk.net. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  26. ↑ "WATCH | Islamist leader tells Pak: Demand money from nations with 'atom bomb' in hand". WION. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  27. ↑ Sharma, Krishankant (6 February 2023). "Take the Quran in one hand and the atom bomb box in the other, you will get blessings - Hafiz Saad Rizvi". Monday India. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  28. ↑ Siddiqui, Zain Ul Abideen (29 September 2023). "Army most popular institution in Pakistan: Gallup survey". The Express Tribune. Saad Rizvi, the chief of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), secured a distant second place with a 38 percent approval rating (...)
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