Imran Khan’s party calls off Islamabad protest following crackdown

The party of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan called off its protest in the capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday after a violent crackdown by security forces.

The protest, which had gathered hundreds of Khan’s supporters, ended in tragedy as many were either arrested or forced to flee the city.

Thousands of Khan’s supporters, led by his wife, had arrived in Islamabad on Monday from the north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Khan’s political stronghold.

They had vowed to pressure the government into releasing the former prime minister, who has been imprisoned for over a year on corruption charges.

The protest soon turned violent, resulting in the deaths of at least six security personnel as protesters attempted to set up camp outside Pakistan’s parliament.

In response, thousands of police and paramilitary forces in riot gear launched an operation just before midnight to disperse the crowds.

The police reported that Khan’s supporters and protest leaders resisted the tear-gas shelling and rubber bullets for about two hours before retreating from the capital.

While Khan’s party claimed six protesters were killed, hospitals in Islamabad reported receiving two bodies of civilians and several dozen others with bullet wounds.

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Information Minister Attaullah Tarar explained that the government had been forced to act after Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), challenged the state, with plans to storm the parliament building.

As a result, schools in Islamabad remained closed for a third consecutive day, and traffic was light across the city after a security lockdown that had been in place since Saturday.

Khan, who served as Pakistan’s Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, remains in jail following his conviction on multiple corruption charges.

He faces additional trials on other charges.

His party, PTI, continues to govern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where periodic protests for his release are common.