Pakistan deployed its army within the nation’s capital on Tuesday with orders to shoot protesters if necessary, as deadly clashes escalated between the police and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The government said that at least six members of the security force had been killed in the violence, as thousands of protesters marched to Islamabad to demand his release from prison.
The police used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators, who pressed ahead toward a public square near major government offices, where they planned to hold a rally. They were dismantling roadblocks and moving shipping containers that had been put in place to stop them. Patriotic songs blared from vehicles, and supporters of Mr. Khan danced in front of the slow-moving convoy, some chanting, “Revolution! Revolution!”
Mr. Khan, an enormously popular politician and former cricket star who has been jailed since August of last year, called for the demonstration over the weekend. Pakistan’s military-backed civilian government put the capital on lockdown, blocking major highways and suspending cellular and internet services in several areas. But protesters managed to enter the city on Monday night.
Security officials said on Tuesday that the army had been deployed to secure important government sites and that troops had been ordered to shoot if needed.
Officials also said that four paramilitary troops had been killed overnight by protesters who ran over them with a vehicle. Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., denied that accusation. Two police officers were reported to have been killed in earlier violence.
Several journalists were attacked by protesters on Tuesday. A photographer for The Associated Press was assaulted and his vehicle was damaged.
Mr. Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in 2022, was arrested last year on various corruption charges, which he and his supporters say were politically motivated attempts to sideline him after he began publicly criticizing the military. But Mr. Khan’s popularity has not diminished, and he has been able to mobilize other large protests from prison. Tensions between Mr. Khan and the military heightened after this year’s elections, which P.T.I. claims were rigged against it.
Mr. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, is leading the protest, having earlier spearheaded a large rally in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, which is controlled by Mr. Khan’s party. Other protesters joined the march after holding rallies at sites across the country.
Addressing a charged crowd of supporters early Tuesday, Ms. Bibi said the protesters would not leave the city until Mr. Khan was released. “We will go back only if Khan comes out and tells us to go back,” she said.
Mr. Khan accuses the government and the military of conspiring to crush his party and undermine democracy, including by rigging elections. He has also criticized recent legal changes that limit the power of Pakistan’s judiciary, arguing that they are meant to keep him out of power.
The government, which says the charges against Mr. Khan are legitimate, depicts him as a figure who is unwilling to follow the rule of law, accusing him of causing chaos through his protests.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif accused protesters of deliberately attacking security officers. “Pakistan cannot afford any chaos or bloodshed, and violence for malicious political objectives is unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
The post Pakistan Deploys Army in Its Capital as Protesters and Police Clash appeared first on New York Times.
