Pakistan: 1,000 protesters arrested in pro-Imran Khan capital march

Khan has been jailed since August 2023, sidelined by dozens of authorized circumstances he claims have been confected to forestall his comeback in elections this yr marred by rigging allegations.

Because the February vote, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) celebration has defied a authorities crackdown with common rallies, however Tuesday’s gathering was by far the biggest to grip the capital because the ballot.

Greater than 10,000 protesters surged into town, defying a lockdown and a ban on public gatherings to skirmish with 20,000 safety forces enlisted to show them again.

Islamabad Police Inspector Common Ali Nasir Rizvi mentioned 954 protesters had been arrested between Sunday and Tuesday, when crowds got here inside one mile (1.6 kilometres) of a public sq. they aimed to occupy.

The federal government mentioned at the least one police officer and 4 state paramilitary personnel had been killed, earlier than the primary thoroughfare was cleared by forces armed with tear gasoline and batons early Wednesday.

Inside Minister Mohsin Naqvi mentioned in an announcement that safety forces had “bravely repulsed the protesters” as PTI advised activists on social media the rally was cancelled “in the interim”.

‘Excessive time’ for talks

Khan made an announcement from his cell outdoors Islamabad calling supporters to the capital on Tuesday.

However the crowds have been led by his key lieutenant Ali Amin Gandapur and his spouse Bushra Bibi, who was additionally jailed earlier this yr however launched final month.

“The motion is constant and it is going to be ended solely by Imran Khan,” mentioned Gandapur after retreating from Islamabad to northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province the place he serves as chief minister.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif known as the protests “extremism”. Since Sunday, his ministers held common press conferences in central Islamabad vowing no mercy for the oncoming marchers.

However as they retreated from the capital, there have been rising requires reconciliation to forestall future flare-ups impacting common residents within the nation of 240 million.

The Human Rights Fee of Pakistan mentioned in an announcement that Khan and Sharif’s events ought to “instantly enter a purposeful political dialogue”.

“It’s excessive time that they agree on a peaceable manner ahead as a substitute of whipping up the feelings of their respective political staff and bringing the nation to a standstill,” the organisation mentioned.

Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute director at The Wilson Heart, mentioned on social media platform X that “Pakistan’s protests had no winners”.

Anger in the direction of the institution has elevated over the crackdown, he mentioned, whereas on the identical time, PTI was pressured to retreat.

“Pakistan on the entire is burdened by a worsening confrontation,” he mentioned.

– ‘Extreme pressure’ –

Sharif’s authorities has come beneath growing criticism for deploying heavy-handed measures to quash PTI rallies.

Cell web was reduce throughout Islamabad, colleges shut on Monday remained closed Wednesday, and roadblocks prevented hundreds of staff from reaching their jobs.

Amnesty Worldwide mentioned that “as protesters enter the capital, legislation enforcement officers have used illegal and extreme pressure”.

Khan, a charismatic 72-year-old former cricket star, served as premier from 2018 to 2022 and is the lodestar of PTI.

He was ousted by a no-confidence vote after falling out with the kingmaking army institution, which analysts say engineers the rise and fall of Pakistan’s politicians.

However as opposition chief, he led an unprecedented marketing campaign of defiance, with road protests boiling over into unrest that the federal government cited as the explanation for its crackdown.

PTI gained extra seats than another celebration on this yr’s election, however a coalition of events thought-about extra pliable to army affect shut them out of energy.