Pakistan: At least six dead in Islamabad as protests to free former prime minister Imran Khan reach capital

At least six people have died in Pakistan after violence broke out during protests to free former prime minister Imran Khan.

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

Four members of Pakistan’s security services and one civilian were killed when a vehicle rammed them in a street.

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

Condemning the 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: “It is not a peaceful protest, it is extremism.”

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi also threatened the use of live fire rounds if protesters used weapons shortly after midnight, saying: “If they again fire bullets, the bullet will be responded with the bullet.”

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

The Associated Press said dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer reporting on the protest for its coverage, and said its camera was taken.

It comes as the interior ministry said the army had been deployed to protect diplomatic missions in the fortified red zone area where many government buildings and embassies are located.

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

Read more on Pakistan:
Pakistan is in political limbo after election upset
Soldiers killed after explosive-packed vehicle ramming

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party has planned to hold a sit-in at the square until their demands for the former prime minister’s release are met.

The PTI is also demanding a rollback of constitutional amendments it claims the government made to curtail the powers of the judiciary – which has criticised the legitimacy of the cases against Khan.

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

He was ousted as prime minister in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament and was jailed in August 2023 on corruption charges.

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

The 72-year-old’s current wife Bushra Bibi – who was acquitted of unlawful marriage charges earlier this year – is leading the protest and told people to keep marching toward the red zone peacefully.

Read more on Sky News:
Toxic smog over Pakistan visible from space
Conor McGregor speaks after civil rape case

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

A court prohibited rallies in the capital on Thursday. Mr Naqvi also said anyone violating the ban would be arrested, and said supporters rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city.