At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured in Pakistan as thousands of supporters of the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan forced their way through security barriers and entered the capital Islamabad on Tuesday morning.
Authorities have enforced a security lockdown in the capital for the last three days after Mr Khan called for supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to march on parliament for a sit-in demonstration to demand his release.
By Tuesday morning, up to 100,000 of Khan’s supporters had broken through the barriers and entered Islamabad, where they were marching toward the “red zone”, an area in the centre of the capital where the parliament and other diplomatic buildings are located. The area resembled a fortress of barriers, shipping containers and police personnel in riot gear.
The protesters were led by Mr Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was recently released from prison, and Khan’s key aide, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of the PTI stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Tens of thousands more were expected to join from neighbouring Punjab and Rawalpindi.
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As the protesters approached Islamabad’s D-Chowk area in the heart of the city, police and paramilitary officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the crowds, but they continued to surge forward undeterred.
PTI’s main demand for the protest is for Mr Khan to be released, alleging that the former prime minister is being held as a political prisoner and that the hundreds of charges against him are trumped up by his political opponents.
Voted out of power by parliament in 2022 after he fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, Mr Khan faces charges ranging from corruption to instigation of violence, all of which he and his party deny.
Among those who reached D-Chowk was Ibrar Khan, who had travelled from Khan’s province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a convoy of protesters to reach the capital. “Imran Khan is like a father figure for us and father of the nation. We are here for him. We won’t go without releasing Khan,” he said.
He said that they had gone up against tear gas and live bullets to reach the capital. “The government tried their best to stop us but despite all obstacles, we made it here,” he said. “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for Khan but won’t leave without Khan.”
The interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, had said earlier that Mr Khan’s supporters would not be allowed to reach D-Chowk or get close to the red zone or parliament buildings. He said the government would not hesitate to use “extreme” steps to stop them, which could include imposing a curfew or deploying army troops. “We will not let them cross our red lines,” he said.
Mr Naqvi said the government had offered PTI a field outside Islamabad to hold their protest and that the offer had been taken to Khan in his jail cell, but they were still waiting for a response.
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The government, led by the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, was heavy-handed in its attempt to prevent Mr Khan’s supporters reaching the capital. Highways into Islamabad were blocked with shipping containers and thousands of police and paramilitary lined the streets, firing rubber bullets and tear gas at the protesters. Public transport into the city was also shut down to keep Mr Khan’s supporters away.
One police officer was shot and killed in the clashes while at least 119 others were injured, and 22 police vehicles were torched in clashes just outside Islamabad and elsewhere in the Punjab province, the provincial police chief, Usman Anwar, said. Two officers were in critical condition, he said.
Another four Rangers paramilitary officers were killed on the outskirts of Islamabad, reportedly when they were run over by a car driven by PTI protesters.
According to PTI, two supporters were killed by excessive police violence and scored more had been injured. “They are even firing live bullets,” said one of Mr Khan’s aides, Shaukat Yousafzai.
The provincial information minister, Uzma Bukhari, said about 80 of Khan’s supporters had been arrested but PTI said that about 5,000 had been picked up by police as they marched to Islamabad from across the country.
Gatherings in Islamabad have been banned, while all schools in the capital and the adjacent city of Rawalpindi were to remain closed on Tuesday, the authorities said.
The march, which Mr Khan has described as the “final call”, is one of many his party had held to seek his release since he was jailed in August last year. The party’s most recent protest in Islamabad, early in October, turned violent. - Guardian