Pakistan police clash with protesters rallying for jailed former PM Khan

ISLAMABAD — 

Clashes betwixt Pakistan information forces and supporters of imprisoned erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan extracurricular Islamabad precocious connected Monday resulted successful the decease of astatine slightest 1 constabulary serviceman and injuries to dozens of people.

The unit erupted erstwhile thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party attempted to participate the superior metropolis for a sit-in protestation until their demands were met.

Khan’s enactment accused constabulary of “firing unrecorded bullets” astatine protesters arsenic they arrived conscionable extracurricular Islamabad. It reported dozens of injuries, saying authorities had besides arrested hundreds of PTI workers and leaders. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, is starring the rally that entered the metropolis earlier dawn connected Monday and was seen heading to the venue contempt the barricades and constabulary crackdown.

While addressing a precocious Monday quality conference, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that information forces are determined to apprehension anyone who reaches the venue. He reported the decease of the constabulary serviceman and said respective different officers were besides earnestly injured aft coming nether occurrence from protesters.

PTI launched the protestation march Sunday arsenic portion of its run to question an extremity to Khan’s detention, on with that of dozens of enactment members allegedly held without trial. The absorption enactment besides demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his conjugation government, claiming they resulted from rigged elections held successful February.

For the past 2 days, authorities person placed Islamabad nether a information lockdown, disrupted mobile net and WhatsApp services, closed schools and blocked highways starring into the superior to support protesters distant from the venue adjacent the parliament.

Major roads, metropolis roads and streets person been barricaded, with the deployment of thousands of constabulary and paramilitary unit successful riot gear. Police banned nationalist gatherings successful Islamabad successful the lead-up to the protestation march.

The United States, portion responding to Monday’s governmental unit successful Pakistan, reaffirmed its enactment for state of look and peaceful assembly.

“We telephone connected protesters to show peacefully and refrain from violence,” State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller told reporters successful Washington. “At the aforesaid time, we telephone connected Pakistani authorities to respect quality rights and cardinal freedoms and to guarantee respect for Pakistan’s laws and constitution arsenic they enactment to support instrumentality and order,” Miller added.

Khan, premier curate from 2018 to 2022, was ousted done an absorption parliamentary ballot of no-confidence aft falling retired with Pakistan’s almighty military.

The 72-year-old erstwhile cricket star-turned-politician has been imprisoned since August 2023, facing much than 150 transgression cases, which see charges of corruption, coercion and instigation of unit against subject properties.

Khan denies the charges, calling them politically motivated and orchestrated by the military, accusations Khan’s successor and service officials disregard arsenic unfounded.

The subject has staged respective coups and has governed Pakistan for much than 3 decades since its independency successful 1947. Khan and different salient Pakistani politicians assertion that service generals power elected governments adjacent erstwhile not formally successful power.