Islamabad. Workers and supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are continuously moving towards Islamabad. One policeman was killed and 70 others were injured in clashes with PTI supporters in various parts of Pakistan including Islamabad.
Officials said Pakistani police fired tear gas at Imran Khan’s supporters to prevent them from entering the capital, where they were hoping to stage a protest demanding his release.
Imran supporters took many policemen hostage. Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi said those entering Islamabad would be arrested. Police failed to stop PTI supporters in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who reached Hasanbadal, addressed the crowd in Swabi and said that we will not return until Imran is released. Imran’s wife Bushra, who was accompanying him, also demanded the release of her husband. After removing the obstructions imposed on the way, PTI workers moved towards Islamabad on Monday.
This time PTI workers are carrying bulldozers and heavy machines. Despite the arrest of PTI workers at many places on Sunday, the party demonstrated at more than 60 places. Imran had called on people to hold nationwide demonstrations on November 24. On Monday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gauhar Ali Khan and various party leaders met Imran at Adiala Jail near Rawalpindi.
Faced with an uncomfortable situation due to PTI’s demonstration during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, the Islamabad administration has imposed Section 144. A large number of paramilitary forces and police personnel have been deployed and all roads have been barricaded. This time too, the protest is going to take place at a time when a high-level delegation led by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has visited Pakistan on Monday.
Shortage of fruits and vegetables increased in Punjab
Punjab, with a population of 12 crore, has been cut off from the rest of Pakistan due to blockades and containers placed on the roads. Due to closure of traffic for the second consecutive day, people are not getting vegetables, fruits, milk and other essential items.