Imran Khan’s supporters flood Pakistani capital amid blockades, clashes

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan's supporters on Saturday flooded Pakistan’s capital Islamabad despite blocked roads and the police using tear gas.

Thousands of members of Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who spent last night on the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway, arrived in the city this afternoon.

Police resisted and fired huge tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse protesters while enraged activists also threw back tear gas shells toward riot police.

The protesters were led by Ali Amin Gandapur, chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Later Gandapur went to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa guest house in Islamabad, where paramilitaries and police raided his official guest house and arrested dozen of his workers.

- Arrest reports denied

"Rangers have forcefully entered KP House and launched an aggressive attack in an attempt to arrest ... Gandapur. This blatant abuse of power is deeply shameful, raising serious concerns about the state of lawlessness in Pakistan," PTI said on X.

Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan also claimed that Gandapur was "illegally" arrested at the KP house.

But state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) cited an official denying the arrest, saying flatly: “News reports regarding Ali Amin Gandapur’s arrest are false.”

In the morning, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that government would take all measures if PTI protesters tried to enter Islamabad.

"We will not allow anyone to sabotage the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit in Islamabad as they (PTI) want to sabotage it," he told reporters in Islamabad.

Naqvi accused protesters of firing tear gas shells on police near the Burhan interchange on Friday, injuring over 80 personnel, while police also arrested 120 Afghan nationals in a protest area in Islamabad.

Pakistan has also deployed the army to ensure the security of the SCO summit in Islamabad, set for Oct. 15-16.

The Punjab provincial government also called on the army to help the civil administration maintain law and order in the province.

Mobile internet service in Islamabad and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi was suspended for a second day while police also blocked all entry points to the capital from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Rawalpindi, placing hundreds of containers on major roads to prevent access.

The PTI is demanding the release of the jailed former prime minister, along with “independence of the judiciary” and protection of the Constitution.

Khan, 72, is currently jailed in Rawalpindi, seeking bail in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, charges he denies. Courts have already set aside two of his convictions and suspended a third.

The former cricket star was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.