Pakistani authorities have arrested nearly 1,000 supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had stormed the capital this week to demand his release. The city’s police chief confirmed the arrests on Wednesday, following violent protests. Khan’s aides, without providing evidence, claimed that many protesters were shot and injured during chaotic overnight clashes in central Islamabad, where police used force to break up the crowds led by Khan’s wife, who had breached security barriers. They also alleged that thousands had been arrested.
Islamabad’s police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied the use of live ammunition, stating that the operation was conducted by police and paramilitary forces. He confirmed the arrest of 600 protesters on Tuesday, bringing the total number arrested since Sunday’s sit-in to 954. Weapons, including automatic rifles and tear gas guns, were reportedly seized at the protest site.
Ali Amin Gandapur, a senior member of Khan’s party, accused the authorities of using excessive force against peaceful protesters and claimed that hundreds had been injured by gunfire. However, the Interior Ministry dismissed these allegations, stating that no deaths or injuries had been confirmed.
The protests, which had already claimed the lives of six people—four paramilitary soldiers and two protesters—had been ongoing before the clashes on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, authorities cleared the protest sites and dismantled barricades, as the red zone in Islamabad was emptied of protesters. Despite the crackdown, Gandapur insisted that the protests would continue until Khan was released.
