Massive Protests Shake Islamabad as PTI Supporters Demand Imran Khan’s Release

Thousands of PTI supporters on Tuesday assembled in Islamabad upon mobilization by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan‘s wife Bushra Bibi and Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur. They demanded the release of Imran Khan as well as an investigation into electoral fraud in the Red Zone in Islamabad that clashed with the police there. It was despite an assurance from the PTI leaders that there would not be any aggressive protest but still, casualty reports on both sides poured in.

Protests turned violent when demonstrators tried to storm through the high-security D-Chowk in the Red Zone, where tensions between the protesters and security forces flared and two workers on the PTI side were killed and over two dozen injured. Police claim that one officer was killed in Attock. Over 4,000 PTI supporters, including parliamentarians, have been arrested as the army’s Quick Response Teams have been deployed to restore order.

Federal authorities justified their measures by saying that they are necessary to maintain order. “No one will be allowed to stage sit-ins in Islamabad. Protesters will face legal consequences for violating the ban on public gatherings,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said. The PTI leadership, however, requested the workers to reach Islamabad by all means.Controversial comments by Bushra Bibi about Saudi Arabia only made the political atmosphere complicated. With a string of cases against her in court, she claimed international forces opposed Khan because of his alleged wrongdoing in Mecca and Medina, something that former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rejected outright. “Saudi Arabia is our greatest friend,” Sharif stated while cautioning that it is not good to hurt their sentiments through words.