Imran Khan supporters call off protest after crackdown
Opposition supporters in Pakistan have temporarily called off protests demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, a day after marching on central Islamabad.
Protesters had vowed not to leave the capital until Khan’s release. But as they breached barriers and made their way to Democracy Square on Tuesday, they were pushed back by police and were met with volleys of tear gas.
At least six people – four security officers and two civilians – died in clashes during the latest protests, which began on Sunday.
Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said in a statement on Wednesday that the protests had been “temporarily suspended” due to the “government’s brutality”.
The PTI accused security forces of pushing a man off a stack of cargo containers in central Islamabad, posting images to X which showed the incident.
The party said the man had been praying on the container when “an armed paramilitary officer brutally pushed him off from a height equivalent to three storeys”.
Video footage showed security forces – who were carrying riot shields with markings indicating they were affiliated with the Pakistani Rangers, a paramilitary force – approaching a man kneeling on top of the containers before pushing him over the edge.
BBC Verify has confirmed that the incident took place on Tuesday on Jinnah Avenue in Islamabad, where protesters had gathered. The footage was verified by matching a video of the fall posted on social media with images uploaded by Getty Images on Tuesday of the same scene. —BBC
