Saad Rizvi rose to prominence after he was made chief of extremist outfit TLP after the death of his father, the firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, in 2020.
In October 2021, the TLP staged a nation-wide protest demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador over insulting comments made by the government of France over blasphemous sketches of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The protests soon turned violent and Saad Rizvi’s arrest led to further widespread protests in the country on more than one occasion.
Saad Rizvi was released from jail in November 2021, after his name was removed from the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. He was initially detained by the Punjab government for disturbing public order.
After the government’s decision to unban the group after a secret agreement with it, Saad Rizvi hinted at taking a more active part in mainstream politics. The latest agreement signed with the TLP was also termed by some government officials as a move towards ‘mainstreaming’ the TLP, which means Saad Rizvi will continue to make headlines in Pakistan.
The TLP leader was reportedly married in Lahore on February 6th. Allama Abdul Sattar reportedly recited the TLP chief’s nikah.