Despite the coronavirus curbs, tens of thousands turned out to mourn Rizvi, and organizers of the funeral said the government had not told them to limit the gathering. Government officials did not respond to a request for comment about the funeral, which wreaked havoc in Lahore as cellphone services were shut down and major roads blocked for security reasons. A local official, who asked not to be named, said he estimated that close to 200,000 people had attended the event. Known for his fiery sermons, Rizvi headed the Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which has made denouncing alleged blasphemy its rallying cry and staged several protests in recent years - pressuring the government on a number of issues. Earlier this month, the cleric led a march joined by thousands of protesters to Islamabad that blocked a main entry road for hours and saw demonstrators clash with police.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 21, 2020 12:11 UTC