Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party has suspended street protests calling for his release from jail after a extensive midnight raid by security forces in the capital Islamabad where hundreds of people were arrested, according to local media reports on Wednesday.
Broadcaster Geo News, who cited a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) statement, had said the party had announced a “temporary suspension” of the protest, in which about six people, including four paramilitary soldiers and two protesters were killed.
Thousands of protesters had gathered in the centre of Islamabad on Tuesday after a convoy, led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, penetrated through several lines of security all the way to the edge of the city’s highly fortified red zone.
News media, Geo News and broadcaster ARY both reported that a significant raid was launched by security forces in pitch black central Islamabad, where lights had been turned off and canisters of teargas was fired. Afterwards, these media reported that the protest gathering was almost completely dispersed.
PTI had previously planned a sit-in in the red zone until their demands are met i.e release of Khan, who has been in jail since August last year.
The PTI president for the city of Peshawar in the party’s northern stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Mohammad Asim, had said the party had called off the protest.
“We will chalk out the new strategy later after proper consultation,” Mohammad Asim said to Reuters.
He also added that Bushra Bibi as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a key Khan ally, had returned “safely” to the province from come back capital.
