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. As the protesters vowed to push further, the government deployed the army in Islamabad.
The protest march by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, 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.
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 Khan’s wife, 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.
According to provincial police chief Usman Anwar, 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. The PTI also reported injuries among its supporters.