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In a sweeping midnight raid on the supporters of jailed former PM Imran Khan, the Pakistani authorities arrested hundreds amid chaotic scenes in Islamabad as they stormed the capital, demanding the release of Khan.
At least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers, have been killed in the violent protests before the raid on Tuesday night was launched by the security forces of Pakistan.
A convoy led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi had earlier broken through several lines of security and reached near Islamabad’s highly fortified red zone as thousands of protesters gathered at the centre of capital city.
Army soldiers guard the red zone area which houses Pakistan’s most important offices and buildings, including the parliament and foreign missions.
Local media Geo News and ARY reported that a raid by Pakistani administration on Tuesday night in central Islamabad led to the dispersion of the protest gathering. The authorities also fired a barrage of teargas as the lights were turned off.
Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters earlier stormed into Islamabad and seized Zero Point ‘D-Chowk,’ where they had planned to stage an indefinite sit-in until their leader is freed who has been in jail since August 2023.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, speaking to journalists, said that any negotiations with the protesters is out of contention as he claimed that the mob used weapons against forces, they were heavily armed and had broken a ban on gatherings in the city.
In a post on X, Imran Khan said “My message for my team is to fight until the last ball is bowled. We will not back down until our demands are met.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused the protesters of killing the paramilitary personnel by ramming the troops with a convoy of vehicles. “It is not a peaceful protest. It is extremism,” Sharif said in a statement, aimed at achieving “evil political designs,” Reuters reported.
However, PTI’s spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari denied the charges and claimed that two protesters were killed and 30 remained injured in the crackdown by security forces. One of the protesters was shot dead and the other was run over by a vehicle, Bukhari added.
