UPDATE - Pakistani security forces drive protesters from capital

ADDS OPPOSITION CLAIMS

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistani security forces launched a massive operation late Tuesday to dislodge supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan who had stormed the capital Islamabad to demand his release.

Footage aired on multiple local broadcasters showed hundreds of protesters running in panic as riot police and paramilitary troops chased them amid teargas shelling.

Hundreds of protesters were also seen leaving the capital, although it was not clear whether they would return to protest on Wednesday morning.

Police hurled teargas canisters and fired rubber bullets to regain control of several points, including “D-Chowk," a large square that was the gathering site for protesters, and at one stage they managed to reach there in their hundreds.

Local broadcaster Geo News reported that Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced an end to its march, accusing the security forces of resorting to "straight firing" on protesters.

Citing unnamed security sources, the news channel reported that Khan's wife Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, managed to flee the capital and entered the province, which is governed by the PTI.

According to Geo News, another 500 PTI workers were arrested in the last operation.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqavi in a late-night news conference at the D-roundabout near parliament alleged that the fleeing protesters ransacked and set public and private properties on fire, including metro stations and vehicles.

"Tomorrow will be a new day. Hopefully, the situation will return to normal from tomorrow," he said, announcing that all educational institutions will reopen in the capital from Thursday.

Naqvi said that Bibi and Gandapur are "absconding."

The PTI, however, rejected the government's claim as "fake news," asserting that the party workers and leaders are very much in the capital.

Gandapur, in a late-night video message from an undisclosed location, accused the security forces of opening fire on the protesters, saying he is "here" and will announce a future strategy after consulting Khan.

Police said the operation will continue as hundreds of PTI workers are still hiding in Islamabad.