Thousands of people in Pakistan broke through the roadblocks surrounding the capital on Tuesday, November 26th, advancing towards Islamabad and clashing with security forces. The protesters demanded the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently in custody. Four security personnel lost their lives during the confrontation.
According to reports from Reuters, the Ministry of Interior confirmed the fatalities but did not specify who was responsible. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the protesters, accusing them of ramming military convoys into semi-military forces.
Sharif stated in a declaration, “This is not a peaceful protest. This is extremism” aimed at achieving “sinister political intentions.”
After Khan called on his supporters to march towards the parliament, authorities enforced security lockdowns nationwide, cutting off internet services and setting up roadblocks on major routes leading to the capital to prevent protesters from entering.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, informed reporters that protesters could stay in the outskirts of Islamabad but warned that extreme measures would be taken if they entered the city.
An eyewitness told Reuters that hundreds of protesters had reached D-Chowk in Islamabad, a square near the parliament that has historically been a focal point for protests.
The protesters demanded the ousting of the current government, looting vehicles and setting fire to a police kiosk.
The Ministry of Interior stated that the military had been deployed to the Red Zone, where government buildings and foreign embassies are located, to protect diplomatic missions. Authorities indicated that a curfew might be imposed in the capital.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Khan, dismissed the accusations made by Prime Minister Sharif regarding the clash with semi-military forces, emphasizing that it was a narrative concocted by the government to justify possible killings.
The PTI reiterated that their supporters would continue their sit-in protest outside the parliament until their demands are met. PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari stated that Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, had announced a peaceful sit-in, with supporters camping out while others traveled from various parts of the country to Islamabad.
Khan described this protest as a “final appeal,” one of the many activities his party has held over the past year since his imprisonment in August. Authorities noted that PTI supporters last protested in Islamabad in October, leading to clashes with the police over several days that resulted in one officer’s death, but this week’s protests saw a larger and more violent scale.
They reported that protesters are now equipped with clubs, slingshots, and sticks, protesting while setting trees and grasslands on fire. However, Epoch Times was unable to independently verify these allegations.
Witnesses told Reuters they heard gunfire around the protest area but were unsure of the source of the shots.