Islamabad:
The party of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan formally called off its protests on Wednesday, blaming the midnight crackdown by authorities that left at least four people dead. More than 50 were injured.
Earlier, Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had claimed that “hundreds” of people had died in violent clashes with security personnel. Amid concerns about Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, who led the march to Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the party said both of them were in Mansehra city near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
The administration has started reopening roads and cleaning the places where vandalism took place during the three-day PTI protests. After the midnight action, Khan’s supporters had to vacate D-Chowk and its surrounding areas in the capital Islamabad.
PTI described the crackdown as a “genocide” under “fascist military rule”, while police sources said around 450 protesters were arrested during the crackdown. “In view of the government’s brutality and the government’s plan to turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unarmed people, (we) are suspending the peaceful protests for the time being,” Khan’s party said in a press release on its official Announce to do.
PTI said the next plans will be announced based on Khan’s instructions. Earlier, the political and core committees of the party presented an ‘analysis of the cruelty committed by the government’. The party’s statement also condemned the “alleged killing of peaceful protesters in the name of the campaign and the terror and brutality inflicted upon them”.
PTI appeals to Chief Justice to take suo motu cognizance of the ‘alleged brutal murder of martyr (party) workers’ and order legal action against the Prime Minister, Home Minister and police chiefs of Islamabad and Punjab for ‘attempt to murder’ . Meanwhile, Gandapur later told the media in Mansehra that the protest is still going on and will continue until party founder Khan calls it off.
He said, “The protest is continuing. Since it is only in the hands of Imran Khan to end the protests. Protest is a movement. So this will continue. This will continue until Khan takes it back.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, PTI supporters clashed with officials, after which they succeeded in staging a sit-in at D-Chowk as part of the Islamabad march that started on Sunday. Six security personnel were killed and dozens were injured in clashes between PTI supporters and police since midnight on Monday.
Gandapur and Bushra Bibi had announced that the protesters would not leave until Khan was released from jail. However, the security personnel continued their efforts to remove them from the area. Khan had called for a demonstration. Rashtrapati Bhavan, Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament and the Supreme Court are located around D-Chowk.
In the early hours of Wednesday, police and rangers launched an operation to clear the Blue Area business area. As a result the protesters had to leave with Bibi and Gandapur. The 72-year-old former Prime Minister, who has been in jail since August last year, had given the last call for nationwide protests on November 24. He made this call on 13 November.
Khan had reportedly condemned the theft of mandate, unjust arrest of people and the passage of the 26th amendment of the Constitution. On the 26th amendment of the Constitution, he had said that it had strengthened the “dictatorial rule”. At least four people were killed in clashes with security personnel.
According to the report of ‘Geo News’, there are two bodies and 26 people injured by bullets in Islamabad’s Polyclinic Hospital, while Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences has reported two people killed and 28 injured. Reacting to the night’s action, PTI accused the government of using violence and attempting to kill hundreds of its workers.
“There was an attempted genocide in Pakistan at the hands of security forces under the brutal, fascist military regime led by the Shahbaz-Zardari-Asim alliance,” PTI said in a post on ‘X’. There is bloodshed in the country.”
The party made this comment while referring to the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief General Asim Munir. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi dismissed the claims of deaths as an attempt to hide the failure of the protests.
“These people are searching for bodies, even visiting hospitals, but there are no bodies there,” he said.
Separately, Information Minister Atta Tarar said that Gandapur and other leaders fled because their protests had failed. He said, “There is no room to hide his embarrassment, he is saying that people were killed even though there is no evidence yet.”
He said that those who were injured were hit by bullets fired by the protesters. Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi said that the protesters were armed and were supported by Afghan civilians trained in sabotage. “We have recovered 39 weapons,” he said.
Rizvi also announced that after December 31, no Afghan citizen will be allowed to stay in Islamabad without a No Objection Certificate. He said that seven FIRs have been registered against the protesters and their leaders for law violations and violence.
