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- Hundreds of Khan supporters set out for Islamabad from various parts of the country on Friday to take part in a protest at D-Chowk square
- Clashes erupted after the police tried to prevent caravans of Khan supporters from entering the capital, resulting in the killing of one cop
ISLAMABAD: Mystery continued to surround the whereabouts of a key official of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party as its protest entered a third day on Sunday, with at least one policeman killed in clashes and almost 900 demonstrators arrested.
Hundreds of Khan supporters set out for Islamabad from various parts of the country on Friday to take part in a protest at D-Chowk. Police tried to prevent the protesters from entering Islamabad, which led to violent clashes between the two sides over the course of two days. Authorities said at least one policeman was killed in the clashes and dozens of other law enforcers sustained injuries, whereas Khan’s party said the police heavily shelled its supporters with tear gas.
Khan’s party announced this week it was protesting the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that it claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, with the government repudiating the charge. The party has also been trying to mobilize supporters through protests and public gatherings to pressure the government for the release of Khan, who has been in prison since August last year on a slew of charges.
Tensions between the government and the PTI escalated on Saturday after the paramilitary Rangers force stormed KP’s administration office in Islamabad, with the party saying Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who led caravans of Khan supporters to Islamabad from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had been “kidnapped.”
“Chief Minister KP Ali Amin Gandapur is neither in our [Islamabad Police] custody nor is he in the custody of any other Pakistani institution,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Islamabad after attending deceased police constable Abdul Hameed Shah’s funeral prayers, denying the PTI claims that Gandapur had been abducted by police or intelligence agencies.
“He himself is on the run. Islamabad police will deal with him as per law as they are definitely searching for him.”
Naqvi said the capital police conducted three raids at various locations on Saturday night where they suspected Gandapur was present, adding that he was not found there.
“We still have blockades at certain points in the city and are actively searching for him,” Naqvi said.
Speaking at a presser, Islamabad police chief Ali Nasir Rizvi said they had rounded up 878 suspects during the days-long violent protests, of whom “120 were Afghan nationals.”
“Tear gas were fired on us, [we were] pelted with stones, with protesters using slingshots to attack us,” he said, without offering any evidence to support his statement.
Shah, the deceased police constable, was posted at Chungi no. 26 from where he was abducted by protesters, according to Islamabad police spokesman Muhammad Taqi Jawad. A resident of the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, Shah joined Islamabad Police in 1988 and was serving in its investigation wing.
“Miscreants kept torturing police constable Shah after abducting him,” Jawad said, adding that Shah was set to retire in three months upon completing his service.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Shah’s killing, blaming the PTI for the violent protests.
“PTI always adopted the path of violence under the guise of protest,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office. “The prime minister has directed to bring all people involved in the incident to justice.”
CURRENT SITUATION IN ISLAMABAD
Normalcy started returning to the Pakistani capital on Sunday afternoon after a majority of roads and thoroughfares in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which had been sealed with shipping containers on Friday, were reopened for traffic, and mobile phone services were largely restored, bringing a sigh of relief to residents of the twin cities.
Speaking of the present situation in the capital, the Islamabad police spokesperson said the protesters who had entered Islamabad with CM Gandapur had left and there was no sit-in protest going on in the city.
“No protesters are in Islamabad right now and the roads are partially opened,” he said.
An Arab News survey, however, revealed that few roads leading toward the capital’s Red Zone, home to key diplomatic and government offices, were still blocked off with shipping containers.
Khan’s party says it is facing an over-year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the PTI attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after the former premier’s brief arrest the same day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.