Four Pakistan security forces killed as capital stormed by ex-PM Imran Khan supporters
At least four security forces have been killed as thousands of supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan flood the Pakistani capital and breach government-imposed lockdown demanding his release.
The government had imposed an internet shutdown, blocked major highways, and deployed thousands of police and paramilitary forces in the capital Islamabad to prevent pro-khan rallies, however, supporters of the ex-PM on Tuesday afternoon filled the streets and breached the lockdown.
Armed with sticks and slingshots, more than 10,000 pro-Khan protesters clashed with police in central Islamabad, less than three kilometers from the government sector they aim to occupy.
According to the military-backed government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, protesters killed at least four security forces during the confrontation between the two sides that soon turned violent.
Khan, who has been charged in more than 150 criminal cases, was barred from standing for the February elections that were marred by allegations of rigging. The 72-year-old star cricketer turned politician, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has frequently denounced the charges as designed to block his comeback.
The former prime minister’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has defied the current crackdown and called for regular rallies, among which, Tuesday's is the largest in Islamabad since he was imprisoned back in August last year.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said "miscreants" involved in the protest rally had killed four members of the paramilitary Rangers force on a city highway leading toward the government enclave.
Separately, Sharif said that the victims had been “run over by a vehicle.”
“These disruptive elements do not seek revolution but bloodshed. This is not a peaceful protest, it is extremism,” the prime minister said in a statement.
Islamabad has been under lockdown since late Saturday, with over 20,000 police officers, many equipped with riot shields and batons, patrolling the streets.
The government, which announced a two-month ban on public gatherings last week, says the protesters are attempting to derail a state visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who arrived for a three-day official visit on Monday.
“We are deeply frustrated with the government. They do not know how to function. The treatment we are receiving is unjust and cruel,” a protester said.
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