Imran Khan's supporters broke through the barricades set up by the police and entered the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. The clash with the police started soon after they entered. Supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan stormed into the capital Islamabad on Tuesday to demand his release. Even using tear gas could not stop them.
Al Jazeera, a Qatar-based media outlet, reported that protesters clashed with security forces in Islamabad after the army was ordered to “shoot on sight”. Several people including journalists were injured in this incident. Earlier, barricades were created with shipping containers on the entrance roads to Islamabad, but Imran Khan's supporters broke through them and entered the capital.
Later on Tuesday night, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned the protesters that if the protesters opened fire using weapons, the security forces would also fire back. “If they fire again, they will be retaliated with fire,” he said.
Pakistani media has mostly stopped filming and filming the protests. They are now mainly reporting on safety measures and empty roads.
US media NPR reported that Imran Khan's supporters are staying about 10 kilometers away from Islamabad's red zone—where important government buildings are located. Interior Minister Naqvi said Imran Khan's party was offered to hold a rally on the outskirts of the city, but they rejected it.
Khan's wife Bushra Bibi, wife of Imran Khan, one of the leaders of the movement, asked the protesters to proceed peacefully towards the Red Zone. He further said, 'If Khan is not released, a new action plan will be announced for the protesters.' At this time, he urged the government not to harm the protesters.
Meanwhile, police have arrested more than 4,000 PTI leaders and activists since last Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in parts of the country to quell the protests. On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court ruled that gatherings in the capital had been banned. Home Minister Naqvi said that anyone who violates this ban will be arrested.
Roads blocked by shipping containers have made travel between Islamabad and other cities virtually impossible. All educational institutions have been closed. Messaging platforms are experiencing severe disruption as mobile internet services are down in the capital.
PTI has been campaigning for Imran Khan's release on social media and using messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information about the movement and even details of incidents. Banned X platform in Pakistan can no longer be used even with VPN.
It is to be noted that this violence is happening at a time when the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is on a visit to Pakistan.
Imran Khan, who is accused in more than one and a half hundred cases, has been in jail for more than a year. He is still the country's most popular leader. His party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) says the cases are politically motivated. Not only because of Imran Khan's imprisonment, but also because of inflation, the people of the country are also upset.
