In a sweeping midnight raid on the supporters of jailed former PM Imran Khan, the Pakistani authorities arrested tons of amid chaotic scenes in Islamabad as they stormed the capital, demanding the discharge of Khan.
At the very least six individuals, together with 4 paramilitary troopers, have been killed within the violent protests earlier than the raid on Tuesday evening was launched by the safety forces of Pakistan.
A convoy led by Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi had earlier damaged by means of a number of strains of safety and reached close to Islamabad’s extremely fortified crimson zone as 1000’s of protesters gathered on the centre of capital metropolis.
Message to the Pakistani nation by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, from Adiala jail, Rawalpindi:
I commend the Pakistani nation and PTI’s political employees, who’re preventing for his or her rights by collaborating on this peaceable protest, and resolutely standing earlier than the mafia…
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 26, 2024
Military troopers guard the crimson zone space which homes Pakistan’s most necessary workplaces and buildings, together with the parliament and international missions.
Native media Geo Information and ARY reported {that a} raid by Pakistani administration on Tuesday evening in central Islamabad led to the dispersion of the protest gathering. The authorities additionally fired a barrage of teargas because the lights have been turned off.
Imran Khan’s celebration, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters earlier stormed into Islamabad and seized Zero Level ‘D-Chowk,’ the place that they had deliberate to stage an indefinite sit-in till their chief is freed who has been in jail since August 2023.
Pakistan’s Inside Minister Mohsin Naqvi, talking to journalists, mentioned that any negotiations with the protesters is out of competition as he claimed that the mob used weapons towards forces, they have been closely armed and had damaged a ban on gatherings within the metropolis.
In a submit on X, Imran Khan mentioned “My message for my group is to battle till the final ball is bowled. We won’t again down till our calls for are met.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused the protesters of killing the paramilitary personnel by ramming the troops with a convoy of autos. “It isn’t a peaceable protest. It’s extremism,” Sharif mentioned in a press release, aimed toward reaching “evil political designs,” Reuters reported.
Nevertheless, PTI’s spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari denied the fees and claimed that two protesters have been killed and 30 remained injured within the crackdown by safety forces. One of many protesters was shot lifeless and the opposite was run over by a automobile, Bukhari added.
