ALBAWABA - Pakistani police launched an operation to disperse the thousands of protestors who took to the streets demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, leading to deadly clashes between security forces and PTI party supporters.
Following Khan's invitation to followers to march on parliament, authorities implemented a security lockdown, internet bans, and closed main routes leading to the capital to prevent demonstrators from entering.
Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan's Interior Minister, warned reporters that protestors may remain on the outskirts of Islamabad but would face severe consequences if they entered the capital.
Despite the warnings, protestors marched to the perimeter of the city's high-security red zone and battled with security personnel, resulting in attacks of tear gas and mass arrests. Several people were reportedly killed during the riots, the majority of whom were members of the security forces.
Prior to the police operation, a protestor told the Associated Press that demonstrations swept the streets because Khan had called for them. "We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next," he told AP news.
On X, the hashtag #Isalamabad_Massacre went viral, with pictures and videos showing police members taunting protestors and attacking people on the streets with live bullets and tear gas.
One video showed police officers beating a man and then throwing him off a container, while he held on to the tips of the metal body in an attempt to save himself, however, he fell and died of a broken neck.
Activists claimed that more than a hundred people were killed at the hands of the police as deadly clashes swarmed the Pakistani capital.
