Pakistan: ‘Shoot at sight’ ordered as pro-Imran Khan PTI protest rally turns deadly; 5 killed

At least four security personnel and one demonstrator were reportedly killed on Monday, as scores of supporters of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan marched towards the capital and were stopped by tear gas canisters fired by the cops, prompting the country’s Army to later issue ‘shoot at sight’ orders.

Clashes broke out when protesters demanding the release of Imran Khan entered the capital Islamabad late Monday, dodging the efforts by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to stop the nationwide stir.

The protest march led by Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi began on Sunday and reached Islamabad by Monday evening. The protest spilled over to Tuesday with the protesters resuming their march to the D-Chowk, close to multiple strategic buildings in the capital.

According to Pakistani English Daily The Nation, that four paratroopers had been “martyred” and the army, under Article 245, had been deployed and authorised to “shoot at sight”

‘Govt showering chemicals’

Video on social media showed Imran Khan’s supporters wearing gas masks and protective goggles to carry out the march amid heavy security deployment which made travel between Islamabad and other cities nearly impossible. Ambulances and cars were seen turning back from areas along the key Grand Trunk Road highway in Punjab province, where shipping containers were used to block roads.

PTI shared several videos and images of injured protesters and reshared a post on Tuesday which claimed that the “government is showering chemicals on protesters from planes.”

Video circulating online showed some protesters operating heavy machinery to remove the containers. “We are determined, and we will reach Islamabad, though police are using tear gas to stop our march,” The Associated Press quoted PTI senior leader Kamran Bangash as saying

“We will overcome all hurdles one by one, and our supporters are removing shipping containers from roads.”

Bangash also said Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was recently released on bail in a graft case, will lead the march along with Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party remains in power.

Former cricket star Imran Khan has been in jail for more than a year and faces more than 150 cases related to his time as Pakistan prime minister. The cases range from corruption to inciting violence and misuse of power.

Schools closed, mobile services cut

All educational facilities were closed in Islamabad for security reasons, according to a notice from the local administration cited in a Bloomberg report, which added that mobile phone services in some areas were also suspended along with a ban on gatherings of more than five people in the capital.

Usman Anwar, chief of police in Punjab province, said on Monday that 119 policemen were injured in several incidents in the region, which is just to the south of capital

Earlier on Monday, almost 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Islamabad, Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, wearing a white head-to-toe burqa, was seen addressing protesters while sitting in a truck, urging them to remain determined to achieve their goal and free Khan. She then chanted, “God is great” and left.