According to the Dawn newspaper, protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at policemen, as well as used sticks in scuffles with officers.

The protests were staged by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Islamist movement that was banned in the country in April 2021.

Supporters of the TLP wanted to stage a march from Lahore to Islamabad where they were going to demand the release of the movement's leader Saad Hussain Rizvi.