Imran Khan calls for ‘fight till the end’ as Pakistan gov’t rules out talks

Islamabad, Pakistan – Imprisoned erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged his supporters to “fight till the end” arsenic Pakistani authorities cracked down connected protesters calling for his release.

Security forces connected Tuesday clashed with supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) enactment who broke done barriers arsenic they marched towards the centre of the locked-down capital, Islamabad, successful an effort to stage a sit-in.

The protesters are demanding the instrumentality of what they telephone a “stolen mandate” aft February’s elections, the merchandise of governmental prisoners and the reversal of a law amendment that allows a civilian authorities to telephone successful the service to assistance it instrumentality “law and order”.

In a station connected societal media, Khan told protesters to stay peaceful and united, saying their conflict is for Pakistan’s “survival and existent freedom”.

As tensions rose, the authorities dismissed prospects of “further dialogue” with the PTI and accused Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, of orchestrating the unrest.

“The nonaccomplishment of beingness and economical harm implicit the past fewer days lies squarely connected 1 person’s shoulders,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said astatine a quality league connected Tuesday evening. “She is wholly liable for this chaos.”

Led by Bibi, who was recently released from situation aft astir 9 months of incarceration, a PTI convoy departed connected Sunday from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a PTI-controlled state successful the northwest, with the extremity of reaching the capital.

Despite facing a fig of obstacles, including road closures and shipping containers blocking roads, hundreds of PTI supporters connected Tuesday greeting reached D-Chowk, a tract successful Islamabad’s highly fortified Red Zone, which houses cardinal authorities offices – including the presidency, the premier minister’s office, the National Assembly and Supreme Court – arsenic good arsenic the diplomatic enclave.

Initially, the information unit contiguous astatine the tract withdrew, allowing the assemblage to ascent onto containers, chanting slogans and waving PTI flags.

However, members of the Rangers paramilitary portion soon replaced the constabulary and responded with unrecorded occurrence and teardrop gas, covering the country successful heavy fume and forcing the protesters to scatter. The PTI said 2 radical were killed.

Paramilitary soldiers occurrence rubber bullets to disperse Khan supporters successful Islamabad [Irtisham Ahmed/AP Photo]

As nighttime fell, authorities unopen disconnected streetlights, plunging the country into acheronian and raising fears of a large-scale cognition against the protesters.

The PTI convoy was stationed less than 3km (almost 2 miles) distant from D-Chowk.

Internet connectivity, meanwhile, has remained patchy passim the time for users crossed the metropolis with mobile information services wholly inaccessible.

Bibi, who has truthful acold maintained an apolitical but an influential beingness successful Khan’s life, delivered a fig of abbreviated speeches passim the day, urging PTI supporters to basal firm.

“Our protestation volition not extremity till Imran Khan is amongst america and tells america what to bash next,” she told supporters, encouraging them to determination towards D-Chowk.

Earlier successful the day, Naqvi, the interior minister, hinted astatine Bibi erstwhile helium alleged that a “hidden hand” was sabotaging peaceful solution efforts and pushing an antistate agenda.

“Their full enactment is keen connected having peaceful dialogues, but determination is 1 hidden manus which is controlling the decision-making and has an anti-Pakistan agenda. In my experience, that hidden manus is the basal origin of each this chaos,” Naqvi told reporters connected Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has remained mostly soundless connected the ongoing protests.

His lone nationalist enactment connected Tuesday, too gathering visiting Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, was to be the funerals of 3 Rangers who were killed successful a hit-and-run incidental connected Monday evening

The authorities has accused the PTI supporters of being down the deaths, a assertion the enactment has vehemently denied. Separately, authorities said, a constabulary serviceman besides died successful clashes with protesters connected Monday arsenic they were approaching Islamabad.