Pakistan’s capital in lockdown as Imran Khan supporters protest
- Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in the capital, Islamabad, demanding his release from jail and the government’s resignation.
- Thousands of Khan supporters have already been detained by police as Islamabad remains under lockdown in advance of the rally.
Violence as Imran Khan supporters converge on Islamabad
In the early hours of Tuesday, protesters clashed with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at a western motorway entry to Islamabad.
“We are deeply frustrated with the government, they do not know how to function,” said demonstrator Kalat Khan, 56. “The treatment we are receiving is unjust and cruel.”
The capital has been locked down since late Saturday with mobile internet sporadically cut and more than 20,000 police flooding the streets, many armed with riot shields and batons.
“From the scale of preparations, one wonders if the Islamabad Police is preparing for war,” said an editorial in the English-language Dawn newspaper. “The city administration may have intended to demonstrate strength by sharing the plans it has made, but instead it looks like it is panicking.”
