Pakistan: At least six dead in Islamabad as protests for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan reach the capital | World News

At least six people have died in Pakistan after violence erupted during protests to free former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Supporters fighting for Khan's release clashed with security services on Tuesday and broke through a ring of shipping containers locking down the capital Islamabad.

Four members of Pakistan's security services and a civilian were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Another police officer died in a separate incident.

Image: Four security officials and another person were killed in a car-ramming attack. Photo: AP

Condemning the car-ramming attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said an “anarchist group” was deliberately targeting law enforcement.

In a statement, he said the unrest was aimed at achieving “evil political designs” and added: “This is not a peaceful protest, it is extremism.”

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also threatened to fire live ammunition if protesters used weapons shortly after midnight, saying: “If they fire bullets again, bullet will be answered with bullet.”

Image: Pakistan's interior minister threatened to fire live ammunition on protesters. Photo: AP

Reports from Islamabad suggest police are using tear gas to try to disperse the crowds. Several people were also injured, including journalists attacked by demonstrators.

The Associated Press said dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer who was reporting on the protest and his camera was confiscated.

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0:48 Why are people protesting in Pakistan?

It comes as the Interior Ministry said the army had been deployed to protect diplomatic missions in the fortified Red Zone where many government buildings and embassies are located.

Meanwhile, a witness told Reuters that protesters had reached D-Chowk – a square near Pakistan's Parliament that has been a historic rallying point for protests – in Islamabad.

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Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party plans to stage a sit-in at the square until its demands for the former prime minister's release are met.

The PTI is also demanding the reversal of constitutional amendments it says the government made to restrict the powers of the judiciary – something that has criticized the legitimacy of the prosecution against Khan.

Image: PTI party plans sit-in protest at D-Chowk until its demands are met. Photo: AP

The former cricketer has been in jail for over a year and faces over 150 criminal cases. The party says the accusations are politically motivated.

He was ousted as prime minister in 2022 following a vote of no confidence in Parliament and was jailed in August 2023 for corruption.

Image: Around 4,000 Imran Khan supporters have been arrested since Friday. Photo: Reuters

Jemima Khan Goldsmith, Khan's ex-wife, said in October that the former leader “was now completely isolated, in solitary confinement, literally in the dark, with no contact with the outside world.”

Bushra Bibi, the 72-year-old's current wife – who was acquitted of illegal marriage charges earlier this year – is leading the protest and has asked people to continue marching peacefully towards the red zone.

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Police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday in a bid to end the unrest, and suspended mobile and internet services in parts of the country.

A court on Thursday banned gatherings in the capital. Mr Naqvi also said anyone violating the ban would be arrested and that his supporters had rejected the government's offer to rally on the outskirts of the city.

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