Tensions continued to simmer in Pakistan’s capital for a second consecutive day as supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan clashed with riot police and paramilitary forces.
On Saturday, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice, PTI) party said that the chief minister of the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, had been arrested “illegally.”
Syed Zulfi Bukhari, who lives in the UK in self-imposed exile, called the incident an “attack on the federation.”
The unrest marks a critical moment in the nation’s political landscape, with no signs of de-escalation as the stand-off intensifies.
Demonstrators, rallying against Khan’s imprisonment, faced off with the security forces, who fired tear-gas shells in a bid to disperse the growing crowds.
The authorities have blocked all the entrance points into Islamabad with shipping containers, closed schools and suspended mobile and internet service, leaving the streets of the capital deserted.
The eastern city of Lahore also witnessed similar scenes and roadblocks.
On Friday, army troops were deployed in the capital to help maintain law and order as Pakistan prepares to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit later this month.
However, the protesters did not budge and continued moving towards the parliament house, where the party had a 126-day long sit-in in 2014.
Earlier in the day, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said, “We will not let anyone sabotage the SCO conference at any cost.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said a total of 120 Afghan nationals, who clashed with police, were arrested in the past 48 hours.
More than 80 policemen were wounded in firing by PTI protesters, he said.
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