Al less five security forces agents died and 119 others injured in Islamabad in protests of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, to demand the release of the former opposition leader, imprisoned since last year. Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, confirmed that four members of the Rangers semi-military force died in clashes with protesters, whom he asked to be held accountable.
Earlier, in a press conference held in Lahore, Inspector General of Punjab Police, Usman Anwar, had reported the death of an officer and the rest of the members of the security forces who were injured during the demonstration, which It began on Sunday and has been described as a “last call” by Khan and his supporters. “Four of them suffered gunshot wounds,” Anwar said, adding that security forces, for their part, prevented its use. “More than 22 police vehicles were damaged. Despite this, the Police remain in service, with 22,000 personnel who continue to actively fulfill their responsibilities,” said the inspector general.
For his part, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a press conference that the organizers of the protest in Islamabad were responsible for the victims.
According to local media, The number of security forces officers killed in Pakistan could rise to 5, although this information has not been confirmed by the authorities of this Asian country.
In the early hours of Tuesday, thousands of protesters from Khan’s PTI entered Islamabad, bypassing the security measures that fortify the city, after several convoys of protesters left from other parts of Pakistan. According to PTI, the security forces resorted to using tear gas against the protesters and fired rubber bullets at them to disperse them when they tried to enter the capital. In videos shared by Khan’s co-religionists, it is observed how the protesters threw stones at the Police in retaliation for their actions against them. This Tuesday they restarted their march towards the D-Chowk area, in front of the Pakistani Parliament and other government headquarters of this Asian country.
“Until Khan comes out and tells us we will not stop. When we reach D-Chowk we will tell them Khan’s plan of action,” said Bushra Bibi, Khan’s wife who is participating in the protests in Islamabad. Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until his dismissal in a no-confidence vote in 2022, has been in prison since August 2023 and faces more than a hundred court charges of corruption that he claims are motivated by policies.
