At least four people were killed after were killed and more than twelve injured in various parts of Pakistan in violent clashes between the security powers and the allies of Khan. “At least four PTI workers were killed so far in different parts of the country on the firing of the law enforcement agencies. One each has been killed in Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, and Swat,” senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari said.
Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday raged the Pakistan Armed force base camp in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and the Corps Commandant’s home in Lahore after his arrest in a corruption case.
Khan, who had traveled from Lahore to the federal capital Islamabad, was undergoing a biometric process at the Islamabad High Court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him after beating Khan’s lawyers and security staff. Khan had traveled from Lahore to Islamabad.
The army accused the 70-year-old chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of making baseless allegations against a senior ISI officer, which led to his arrest.
In a number of Pakistani cities, massive protests broke out as the news of his arrest by the Rangers spread. At a number of locations, protesters became violent, causing damage to public property and the burning of police vehicles.
She said more than twelve have additionally been harmed. However, it was impossible to independently verify the deaths. During their clashes with the security agencies in Lahore and Faisalabad, video footage shows that some PTI employees were wounded by bullets.
In some areas, the protests in Lahore and Faisalabad were still going on. In Faisalabad, supporters of Khan also set some law enforcement vehicles on fire. The dissidents likewise set ablaze a toll plaza on the Smack Motorway, as indicated by footage shared by PTI.
The PTI released video clips that showed some protesters chanting slogans against Imran Khan’s arrest entering the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the army’s headquarters.
In Rawalpindi, where troops were exercising restraint, Khan’s supporters smashed the main gate of the army’s sprawling headquarters for the first time. The nonconformists recited mottos against the foundation.
In Lahore, a large number of PTI workers broke into the residence of the Corps Commander Lahore and smashed the window and gate.
However, the enraged protesters who surrounded them and chanted slogans against the “handlers” of the PML-N-led government in the military establishment did not attempt to stop the on-duty army personnel. In the Cantonment region, the protesters staged a demonstration.
Because of the protests on major roads, including those leading to and from the city, Lahore was virtually cut off from the rest of the province.
The caretaker Punjab government called the Rangers to control the law-and-order situation in the most crowded region and imposed section 144 under which not beyond what five individuals can accumulate at a certain point.
The Home Department stated that gatherings will be prohibited for two days. In addition, the Punjab government requested that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority suspend mobile and Internet services in the province’s violent protest-prone areas.
In a similar vein, the government of Balochistan implemented Section 144 in Quetta and other locations to control political demonstrations and events. Comparative move was made by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government which restricted assembling in Peshawar and different urban areas of the region.
Imran Khan’s hearing to take place at Islamabad police headquarters
Amid the unrest going on in Pakistan, former prime minister Imran Khan will today appear in a special court at the capital’s police base camp to answer graft charges, a day after his shock capture provoked violent nationwide protests.
