Pakistan Police Fire Tear Gas, Baton-Charge Supporters As Imran Khan Marches on Capital
Pakistani police have fired tear gas and baton-charged supporters of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop them from reaching the capital Islamabad.
“We are getting reports that the police have baton-charged and fired tear gas shells to break the protesters,” Amjad Malik, an interior ministry official, told Reuters.
Political and economic volatility has deepened in the South Asian nation ahead of a likely announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) later in the day on whether it will resume a $US6 billion (8.5 billion) rescue package.
With foreign reserves falling to $US10.3 billion — lower than two months of imports — a fast-crashing rupee and double-digit inflation, the political turmoil has compounded unrest in the country.
Mr Khan urged his supporters to march on the capital and stay there until the new government was dissolved and a date for a fresh election was announced.
He was ousted in a confidence vote by a united opposition after he lost his partners in his coalition government last month.
Mr Malik said no-one was seriously injured in the clashes, which were reported mostly in Punjab province, and that the police had also rounded up dozens of the activists.
‘No one can stop us’
Live local TV footage showed police fighting with the supporters, beating them and in some places breaking their vehicles’ windscreens and bundling them into police vans.
Entry and exit points were also blocked to and from all major cities in Punjab province and on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, they said.
Islamabad’s entry and exit routes have been blocked, as well as all important sites, including parliament, government offices and diplomatic missions, officials said.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary troops have been deployed since Tuesday evening.
Mr Khan is leading a rally that started in the north-western city of Peshawar and was due to reach the capital via the GT road.
“No one can stop us,” Khan said from atop a truck on the GT road on his way to Islamabad.
“We will remain in Islamabad till announcement of dates for dissolution of assemblies and elections are given,” he said later in a tweet, rejecting local media reports that a deal had been struck with the government to call off the march after holding a public meeting in the evening.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also denied any such deal.
The government had banned Mr Khan’s march, alleging he was bringing the protesters to Islamabad with “evil design”.
“We are trying to energise this weak economy.”
Mr Khan’s party has petitioned the Supreme Court to order the government to lift the restrictions.
