ISLAMABAD — Supporters seeking the release of imprisoned Pakistani former premier Imran Khan on Tuesday broke through a ring of shipping containers locking down the capital Islamabad, while at least six people have died in protest-related violence. Protesters battled security forces and ignored a government threat to respond with gunfire.
The dead included four members of the security services and one civilian who were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack on Tuesday, saying an “anarchist group” was deliberately targeting law enforcement personnel. There were no claims of responsibility for the ramming. A police officer died in a separate incident.
Shortly after midnight, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi threatened security forces would respond with live fire if protesters fired weapons at them.
“If they again fire bullets, the bullet will be responded with the bullet,” he said.
Police used tear gas to try and disperse the crowds. Scores of people more have been injured, including journalists who were attacked by Khan supporters. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was being treated in a hospital.
Pakistani media have mostly stopped filming and photographing the rally, instead focusing on the security measures and the city’s deserted streets.
Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated.
Authorities say only courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been imprisoned since his first conviction in a graft case, in August 2023, and has been sentenced in several cases.
Khan’s supporters were around 10 km (6.2 miles) from their destination, the city’s Red Zone that houses key government…
