Pakistan: Security Forces Launch Midnight Raid On Imran Khan Supporters (image-X/Warrior57534780)
Islamabad, Pakistan: On Tuesday night, Pakistan security forces launched a nighttime raid on supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan after they stormed into the capital, Islamabad, demanding his release. At least six people, including four security officials, have been killed in the protests on Tuesday.
A security lockdown has been enforced in the country. Authorities have imposed internet blackouts, and major roads leading to Islamabad have been barricaded to prevent protestors from entering the parliament.
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The country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, stated that the protestors could remain on the outskirts of the capital but threatened with extreme measures if they entered the city.
According to reports, nearly 450 protestors have been detained, and more arrests are expected on Wednesday.
Led by Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and Ali Amin Gandapur, chief minister in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—where Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remains in power—thousands of protestors gathered in central Islamabad after the former prime minister called on his supporters to march on parliament. They breached security barriers near the capital’s heavily fortified red zone.
Defying a two-day security lockdown, the protestors clashed with security officers who responded with tear gas and mass arrests. As per Reuters, 22 police vehicles were set ablaze outside Islamabad and in the Punjab province.
Schools in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been closed on Monday and Tuesday; all public transport between cities and terminals has also been shut down, reported Reuters.
Why Are They Protesting?
Supporters of the former cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan demand his release. They seek the repeal of a new constitutional amendment that has increased the government’s power to pick superior court justices and select them to hear political cases.
The protestors believe that February elections were not free or fair but a “stolen mandate.” Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022. Since then, he has led a popular campaign against the PM Sharif-led government, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office.
Also Read | At Least 5 Killed, 100 Injured During Imran Khan’s Supporters’ March To Parliament
Imran Khan has been in jail for roughly a year and faces a series of criminal cases with allegations ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets. Both he and his political party, PTI, deny the accusations.
