Clashes between Pakistan security forces and supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan outside Islamabad late on Monday resulted in the death of at least one police officer and injuries to dozens of people.
The violence erupted when thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party attempted to enter the capital city for a sit-in protest until their demands were met.
Khan’s party accused police of “firing live bullets” at protesters as they arrived just outside Islamabad. It reported dozens of injuries, saying authorities had also arrested hundreds of PTI workers and leaders. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, is leading the rally that entered the city before dawn on Monday and was seen heading to the venue despite the barricades and police crackdown.
While addressing a late Monday news conference, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that security forces are determined to arrest anyone who reaches the venue. He reported the death of the police officer and said several other officers were also seriously injured after coming under fire from protesters.
PTI launched the protest march Sunday as part of its campaign to seek an end to Khan’s detention, along with that of dozens of party members allegedly held without trial. The opposition party also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his coalition government, claiming they resulted from rigged elections held in February.
For the past two days, authorities have placed Islamabad under a security lockdown, disrupted mobile internet and WhatsApp services, closed schools and blocked highways leading into the capital to keep protesters away from the venue near the parliament.
Major roads, city roads and streets have been barricaded, with the deployment of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel in riot gear. Police banned public gatherings in Islamabad in the lead-up to the protest march.
The United States, while responding to Monday’s political violence in Pakistan, reaffirmed its support for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“We call on protesters to demonstrate peacefully and refrain from violence,” State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller told reporters in Washington. “At the same time, we call on Pakistani authorities to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to ensure respect for Pakistan’s laws and constitution as they work to maintain law and order,” Miller added.
Khan, prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was ousted through an opposition parliamentary vote of no-confidence after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military.
The 72-year-old former cricket star-turned-politician has been imprisoned since August 2023, facing more than 150 criminal cases, which include charges of corruption, terrorism and instigation of violence against military properties.
Khan denies the charges, calling them politically motivated and orchestrated by the military, accusations Khan’s successor and army officials dismiss as unfounded.
The military has staged several coups and has governed Pakistan for more than three decades since its independence in 1947. Khan and other prominent Pakistani politicians claim that army generals influence elected governments even when not formally in power.
