More than 600 people were arrested in an overnight crackdown on supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister in Islamabad, the police said on Wednesday.
The crackdown brought a swift end to the protests that have gripped Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, this week ever since thousands of people gathered in the city to demand the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister. Mr. Khan has been in prison since last August on charges that his party claims are politically motivated.
The protesters, led by Mr. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, marched to a main square near government buildings in Islamabad on Tuesday. That resulted in violent clashes with security forces, who moved to disperse them. Four civilians were killed by gunfire in the unrest, according to local media reports.
The Inspector General of Islamabad Police, Ali Nasir Rizvi, said Wednesday that 954 people have been arrested in relation to the recent protests — including 610 the previous night.
He told a news conference that 71 members of the security forces had been wounded in clashes, and denied that they had fired on protesters.
“Only nonlethal weapons, tear gas and baton-charge were used during last night’s crackdown,” Mr. Rizvi said.
Pakistan, an impoverished, nuclear-armed nation of 241 million people with a struggling economy, has been in a constant state of political turmoil since Mr. Khan’s removal from office in 2022 following a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
Since then, he has accused the powerful military of orchestrating his removal and has led a protest campaign to reclaim power through public rallies.
The political crisis intensified after general elections earlier this year. Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claimed victory in the elections and accused the current civilian government of being a puppet of the military.
Tensions were already high in the capital on Tuesday, with security officials ordered to use lethal force, if necessary, to protect key buildings.
The crackdown by paramilitary troops and police began shortly before midnight. The authorities turned off streetlights at the main square where protesters had gathered before they were pushed back and forced to regroup nearby, and they ordered nearby shops, cafes and markets to close.
Protesters, most of whom had come from the neighboring Khyber-Pakhthunkwa province, quickly dispersed as security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets, officials said. Mr. Khan’s supporters claimed that security forces had opened fire on the protesters, which the security officials have denied.
By 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi appeared before journalists at the protest venue and announced that the area had been cleared.
The protesters’ “hasty retreat,” as described by Dawn, one of Pakistan’s leading English dailies, surprised many and disappointed Mr. Khan’s supporters.
For days, Ms. Bibi had vowed not to leave Islamabad unless her husband was released. “I will stay here till my last breath,” she declared in a speech on Tuesday before the crackdown.
But she and Ali Amin Gandapur, a political ally of Mr. Khan who has led previous protests, managed to evade arrest in the melee. They fled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is controlled by Mr. Khan’s party and where Mr. Gandapur serves as its chief minister, officials said.
Mr. Gandapur later vowed to continue the protest — although other officials from Mr. Khan’s party said it had been called off in light of the crackdown.
Mr. Khan’s party also accused security forces of killing dozens of protesters, a claim that could not be independently verified and was repeatedly denied by officials. The country’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said that protesters had fled in disarray, leaving behind vehicles and even their shoes. “The miscreants had made big claims but failed,” he said.
On Wednesday, the protest site was strewn with debris and trash, and several vehicles lay damaged. A truck used by Ms. Bibi had been burned to a char.
The political crisis has left Islamabad’s residents frustrated, with frequent protests and blockades disrupting daily life. Anticipating the protest, the authorities blocked major roads and suspended internet and cellular services in parts of the city. Schools, closed since Monday, are scheduled to reopen on Thursday.
Political analysts and rights groups condemned the violence and called for dialogue.
“The government and the opposition, the PTI, must immediately engage in purposeful political dialogue — both on the floor of the house and among political parties,” the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement. “It is high time they agree on a peaceful way forward instead of inciting their supporters and bringing the country to a standstill.”
Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States and now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, echoed the sentiment. He noted that the political crisis had led to repeated conflicts.
“The solution to Pakistan’s problems lies in grand reconciliation among political parties and the state’s permanent institutions,” Mr. Haqqani said.
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