A four-day lockdown in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad ended on Wednesday following a sweeping police clampdown on protestors who have been calling for the release of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Authorities reopened roads linking the capital with the rest of the country on Wednesday morning after they were blocked off by shipping containers to prevent protestors from entering, officials confirmed.
Police used tear gas and mass arrests to disperse the thousands of protestors who had gathered, according to reports.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the end of the lockdown in a statement.
“All roads are being reopened, and the demonstrators have been dispersed,” Naqvi said.
The party had urged supporters of Khan to join what they described as a “long march” from the restive northwest to Islamabad to demand his release.
Khan, who remains a popular opposition figure, has been in prison since August 2023 in connection with more than 150 criminal cases ranging from corruption to instigating violence.
The cricketer-turned-politician and his party claim the charges are politically motivated and intended to stifle his comeback in the general election this year.
By Tuesday, thousands of protesters, led by Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, had gathered in the capital city despite government warnings that they would be met with gunfire.
Police Clampdown Is ‘Massacre’ PTI Says
Bibi and other leaders of the PTI party fled to Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where the party still rules, when police pushed back against demonstrators.Broadcaster Geo News reported on Wednesday that the party announced a “temporary suspension” of the protest.
“Today, armed security forces launched a violent assault on peaceful PTI protesters in Islamabad, firing live rounds with the intent to kill as many people as possible,” the party said. “The world must condemn this atrocity and the erosion of democracy and humanity in Pakistan.”
The party also called on the international community to “take a strong stand against this brutal crackdown.”
Media coverage of the demonstrations in Pakistan has largely ceased in recent days, and authorities imposed internet blackouts in some parts of the country as part of efforts to prevent PTI from sharing information and planning protests, although internet access has since been restored.
In an earlier statement on Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan ousted by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022, said the protests were not peaceful but “extremism” and “evil political designs.”
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told journalists that the protesters used weapons against security forces and were heavily armed. They also violated a ban on gatherings in the city, he said.
Candidates backed by Khan’s party won the most seats in a parliamentary election in February, but Sharif was able to join together enough parties to form a coalition and retain power.
Khan and his party alleged that the polls were rigged following a military-backed clampdown aimed at keeping him out of power. The army has denied charges of election manipulation.
