Clashes between Pakistan security forces and supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan outside Islamabad late on Monday resulted in the death of at least four troops and one police officer.
The violence erupted when thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party attempted to enter the capital city for a sit-in protest until their demands were met.
Khan’s party accused police of firing live bullets at protesters as they arrived just outside Islamabad. It reported dozens of injuries, saying authorities had also arrested hundreds of PTI workers and leaders.
Amid escalating violence during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest, the federal government has deployed the army in the capital.
The Interior Ministry issued a notification invoking Article 245, allowing the military to assist in maintaining order and deal with the miscreants with an iron hand. The notification also grants the army authority to impose curfew wherever necessary to curb lawlessness.
Sources indicate that security forces have also been authorized to shoot miscreants and troublemakers on sight.
They said that all necessary measures are being taken to counter terrorist activities by disruptive and extremist elements. All the miscreants are also being identified to bring them to justice.
The decision follows a tragic incident on Srinagar Highway, where PTI miscreants reportedly drove a vehicle into Rangers personnel, resulting in the martyrdom of four Rangers and injuries to five others, along with two police officers.
According to security officials, the attacks on law enforcement have so far claimed the lives of four Rangers and two police officers.
Over 100 police personnel have sustained injuries, many of whom are in critical condition, underscoring the gravity of the ongoing violence.
The PTI supporters have entered the federal capital on the call of their jailed party founder to gather at D-Chowk in the capital and stay there until their demands are met. The release of jailed ex-premier among other issues is what the party seeks.
A security lockdown has been imposed in the federal capital for the last two days to block Bushra Bibi and KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur-led convoys of PTI protesters, while highways into the city have been barricaded.
The government has used shipping containers to block major roads and streets in Islamabad, most of them patrolled by large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel in riot gear.
The Imran Khan-founded party, in recent months, has marched on the federal capital on multiple occasions which has seen its workers clashing with the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
