Pakistan lifted a four-day lockdown on Wednesday after authorities used tear gas and fired into the air to disperse supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The demonstrators had marched to Islamabad, demanding his release from prison.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed, "All roads are being reopened, and the demonstrators have been dispersed."
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who had been leading the protest, along with other rally participants, fled in vehicles after clashes with police, which resulted in at least seven fatalities.
The police operation came after thousands of Khan’s supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a blockade of shipping containers surrounding Islamabad. The protesters then entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces.
Tensions in the capital had been escalating since Sunday, when Khan’s supporters began a "long march" from the volatile northwest region to demand his release. Khan, who has been imprisoned for over a year, faces more than 150 criminal charges, which his party claims are politically motivated.
Since the march began, hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested.
Bibi and other leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which Khan founded, eventually fled to Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the PTI still governs.
Khan, who remains a popular opposition figure, was removed from office in 2022 following a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
(Source: UNB)
BD-Pratidin English/Mazdud
