Three Pakistani police killed in clashes with banned Islamists

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) Islamist political party chant slogans as they protest against the arrest of their leader in Lahore, Pakistan April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -Three Pakistani police were killed in clashes on Friday with demonstrators from a banned Islamist group who rallied to demand the release of their leader and the expulsion of the French ambassador over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

The officers were hit by a vehicle which drove at police as thousands of activists from the Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) movement gathered in the eastern city of Lahore for a march on the capital Islamabad.