Six people died as protests broke out in Pakistan over the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan

• Six people were killed when supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan clashed with security forces in Islamabad on Tuesday.
• Thousands of security personnel have been sent to central Islamabad to control the protests.
• More than 4,000 of Khan’s supporters have been arrested, the government has also suspended mobile phone and internet services, closed major travel routes and banned rallies.

Supporters demanding the release of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan broke into shipping containers that blocked the capital on Tuesday, clashing with security forces despite the government’s threat to respond with gunfire. Six people died in this violence.

Thousands of security forces have descended on central Islamabad in an effort to quell pro-Khan protests that have gripped the capital and surrounding areas since Sunday. This popular politician has been in prison for over a year and is facing more than 150 charges that his party says are related to politics.

Authorities say only the courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 by a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been in prison since his first conviction in August 2023.

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On Tuesday, Pakistani troops took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the heart of Islamabad’s Red Zone, which houses important government buildings and is home to visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Military guards and policemen were also out in large numbers and some shot in the air.

Nevertheless, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who is leading the protests, walked slowly towards the square in a heavily guarded procession, surrounded by well-wishers.

The Minister of Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, has threatened that the security forces will respond with fire if the protesters shoot them with weapons.

“Now we have allowed the police to take any decision according to the situation,” Naqvi said later when he visited the scene.

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Demonstrator Shahzor Ali said that people were on the streets because Khan had called them. “We will stay here until Khan is with us. He will decide what to do next,” said Ali.

“If they shoot again, the bullet will be returned with a bullet,” he said.

Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered a lot in the past two years.

“We have really suffered in the last two years, whether it is economic, political or social. We have been corrupted. I have never seen Pakistan like this in my life,” he said.

Army soldiers fire tear gas shells to disperse supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan during protests in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Irtisham Ahmed)

So far the police have used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The dead included four members of the security forces and one civilian who died when a car hit them on the road on Tuesday night. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying an “anarchist group” had deliberately targeted law enforcement personnel. There was no claim of ramming responsibility. The policeman died separately.

A number of people were also injured, including journalists who were attacked by protesters. Dozens of Khan’s supporters beat up a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He suffered a head injury and was treated at the hospital.

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Pakistani media stopped filming and photographing the rally, instead focusing on security measures and the city’s deserted streets.

On Tuesday afternoon, new waves of protesters marched unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Many protesters carried the flag of Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, over their shoulders or wore its tricolor on paraphernalia.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is pictured at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Oct. 9, 2019, Beijing, China. (Parker Song-Pool/Getty Images)

Naqvi said Khan’s party rejected the government’s offer to meet on the outskirts of the city.

Information Minister Atta Tarar warned that there would be a negative government response to the violence.

He said the government does not want Bushra Bibi to fulfill his goal of freeing Khan. “He wants the bodies to fall to the ground. He wants blood to be spilled,” he said.

In an effort to curb the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and cut off mobile phone and internet services in other parts of the country, while messaging platforms have also been disrupted in the capital.

Khan’s group relies heavily on social media to demand Khan’s release and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X forum, banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN.

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On Thursday, the court banned gatherings in the capital and Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become almost impossible due to shipping containers blocking the roads. All educational institutions remain closed.