Four Troops Killed As Thousands Defy Pakistan Crackdown to Rally for Imran Khan's Release
Four Pakistani security troops were killed on Tuesday in the capital, Islamabad, run over by a convoy of protesters seeking the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the prime minister's office said.
Thousands of Khan's supporters marched on the capital, breaking through barricades in response to his call for a sit-in protest near parliament to press demands ranging from their leader's release to the government's resignation.
Mr. Khan, who has been in jail since August of 2023 and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains hugely popular despite attempts by the military-backed civilian government to suppress his support. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., says the cases are politically motivated.
Mr. Khan accuses the government and military of teaming up to crush his party, rig elections and undermine democracy. The government argues that Mr. Khan is sowing chaos through protests and insists the charges are legitimate, framing him as someone who refuses to play by the rules. It has rejected Mr.
Khan's calls to negotiate for his release.
"It is not a peaceful protest. It is extremism," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement issued by his office, condemning the bloodshed as being aimed at achieving "evil political designs".
Some vehicles in a convoy of protesters ran over security officers, killing the paramilitary officers, it added.
The interior ministry attributed the attacks to "miscreants" but did not identify them further, saying four troops were killed.
By Tuesday morning, over 100,000 of Khan’s supporters had broken through the barriers and entered Islamabad, where they were marching toward the “red zone”, an area in the centre of the capital where the parliament and other diplomatic buildings are located. The government, led by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, used a heavy handed response in a bid to prevent Khan’s supporters reaching the capital. The area resembled a fortress of barriers, shipping containers and police personnel in riot gear.
Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, and a key aide, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led a march that wended its way into the capital early on Tuesday, his party and Reuters witnesses said.
Ms. Bibi is also a spiritual guide to Mr. Khan and wears a full veil, symbolizing her adherence to Islamic modesty standards. She has been at the forefront of the current protest, stepping into a rare public leadership role.
"As long as Imran is not with us, we will not end this march," Ms. Bibi said in a brief speech to supporters Monday afternoon. "I will stay there till my last breath, and all of you must support me. This is not just about my husband, but about the country and its leader."
Tens of thousands more were expected to join from neighbouring Punjab and Rawalpindi.
Khan has told marchers to head for a roundabout just outside parliament. His party's demands include a rollback of constitutional amendments it says the government made to curtail the powers of the judiciary.
Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier warned that Khan’s supporters would not be allowed to reach the parliament and said the government will be forced to use “extreme” steps if they attempted to, which could include imposing a curfew or deploying army troops. “We will not let them cross our red lines,” he said.
Naqvi said the government had offered PTI a field outside Islamabad to hold their protest and that the offer had been taken to Khan in his jail cell, but they were still waiting a response.
PTI’s main demand for the protest is for Khan to be released, alleging that the former prime minister is being held as a political prisoner and that the hundreds of charges against him are trumped up by his political opponents.
Voted out of power by parliament in 2022 after he fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, Khan faces charges ranging from corruption to instigation of violence, all of which he and his party deny.
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