Imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged his supporters to “fight till the end” as Pakistani authorities cracked down on protesters calling for his release.
Security forces on Tuesday clashed with supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who broke through barriers as they marched towards the center of the locked-down capital, Islamabad, in an attempt to stage a sit-in.
The protesters are demanding the return of what they call a “stolen mandate” after February’s elections, the release of political prisoners and the reversal of a constitutional amendment that allows a civilian government to call in the army to help it implement “law and order.”
Despite facing a number of obstacles, including highway closures and shipping containers blocking roads, hundreds of PTI supporters on Tuesday morning reached D-Chowk, a site in Islamabad’s highly fortified Red Zone, which houses key government offices – including the presidency, the prime minister’s office, the National Assembly and Supreme Court – as well as the diplomatic enclave.
However, members of the Rangers paramilitary unit soon replaced the police and responded with live fire and tear gas, covering the area in thick smoke and forcing the protesters to scatter. The PTI said two people were killed.
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