IslamabadcTypeface:> The party of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called off a protest in the capital Islamabad after a crackdown by security forces, in which hundreds of supporters were arrested and the rest were forced to flee.
Thousands of Khan’s supporters led by his wife converged on Islamabad on Monday from his stronghold province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the north-west, vowing to force the government to release him. The protesters turned violent and killed at least six members of the security forces as they headed to camp outside the country’s parliament.
Thousands of police and paramilitary troops in riot gear began an operation shortly before midnight to dislodge the protests. Khan’s supporters and protest leaders fled the capital after resisting the tear-gas shelling and rubber bullets for around two hours, his party said. The party claimed six protesters were killed, but hospitals in the city said they received two bodies of civilians and several dozen people with bullet wounds. (DPA)