Several members of Pakistan’s security forces have reportedly lost their lives as supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan breached the capital, Islamabad.
According to government sources, four security personnel were killed on Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators defied a police-enforced lockdown, overcoming barricades and tear gas to enter the city. Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party are demanding the former Prime Minister’s release ahead of an upcoming court hearing concerning terrorism charges. A statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office indicated that the fatalities occurred when a vehicle struck the security personnel.
As clashes erupted between protesters and security forces, with demonstrators disregarding a government warning of a potential armed response, Sharif denounced the violence, asserting, “This is not a peaceful protest; it is extremism.”
The march into Islamabad followed two days of confrontations as protesters approached the capital. The city administration had previously instituted a two-month prohibition on public gatherings. Reports regarding casualties are inconsistent; in addition to the four security personnel, unverified accounts suggest that a civilian may have also been killed during the vehicle incident, and a policeman has reportedly died in a separate occurrence.
The demonstrators have now entered the city, raising significant concerns following reports that law enforcement intended to suppress the protests, he stated.
Hyder pointed out the conflicting accounts regarding the fatalities.
“The government claims that it was the protesters who struck the security personnel, yet eyewitnesses assert that it was a security vehicle fleeing in fear as the protesters approached,” he remarked. Khan, who was removed from office in 2022 via a no-confidence vote, has been incarcerated for over a year due to a corruption conviction and is facing more than 150 criminal charges.
His PTI party contends that these charges are politically driven, while officials maintain that only the judiciary has the authority to grant his release. Since Friday, police have detained over 4,000 of Khan’s supporters and have suspended mobile and internet services in various regions of the country. All educational institutions remain closed.
On Thursday, a court issued a ban on rallies in the capital, warning that anyone who defies this order would be arrested.
Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible, as authorities have obstructed roads with shipping containers. Nevertheless, the protesters managed to move them aside on Tuesday.
