5 killed in Pak as Imran Khan’s supporters march to Islamabad, clash with police

Five security personnel were killed, and dozens, including police officers, were injured.

In Pakistan as supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan marched toward the capital on Monday and continued their protest on Tuesday. As the protesters vowed to push further, the government deployed the army in Islamabad.

The protest march spearheaded by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, which began on Sunday and reached Islamabad by Monday evening, witnessed clashes with police and security forces. On Tuesday, the protesters resumed their march to the D-Chowk, close to several strategic buildings in the capital, where they plan to gather.

According to local media reports, one police officer was fatally shot, and four paratroopers were run over by protesters. Dozens were injured as the city witnessed heightened tensions, a series of violence, attacks on police and torching of vehicles as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers advanced towards the capital.

Imran Khan, the PTI chief, had issued a “final call” for nationwide protests starting Sunday, rejecting what he described as a “stolen mandate”. The party urged the public to join the demonstrations to “break the shackles of slavery”. Protesters, led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Bushra Bibi, began their march toward Islamabad on Sunday.

The government blocked highways using shipping containers, concrete barriers, and barricades. However, protesters used lifting equipment and heavy machinery to remove the obstacles, pressing forward toward the national capital, leading to violent clashes.

Provincial police chief Usman Anwar confirmed that one police officer was shot dead, at least 119 others were injured, and 22 police vehicles were set on fire in clashes near Islamabad and across Punjab province. Two officers remain in critical condition. Imran Khan’s also claimed injuries among its supporters.

Some miscreants drove their vehicle over rangers on Srinagar Highway, killing four of them and injuring another five, security forces told Pak broadcaster Geo TV.

According to reports, the government tried to convince the PTI to end its protest or agree on a venue away from the city to stage a protest. However, Bushra Bibi rejected the proposal and insisted on progressing to D-Chowk.

The government is planning stringent actions, with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warning the former ruling party of serious “consequences” if they enter the high-security zone.

Imran Khan has been implicated in numerous cases since his government was removed through a no-confidence motion in 2022. He has been in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since last year, facing, according to his party, more than 200 cases. He has been granted bail in some, convicted in others, and hearings are ongoing for additional cases.

Khan’s party secured the most seats in the February general elections, despite running as independents after being denied an election symbol. The PTI leader has claimed that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), “stole the mandate” to seize power at the federal level.