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ISLAMABAD —Pakistan said Wednesday that an overnight security crackdown evicted thousands of opposition activists rallying in support of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from central Islamabad, reopening roads linking the capital with the rest of the country after a four-day lockdown.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, launched what it had billed as a "peaceful" protest march on Sunday, bringing thousands of people into the city to stage a sit-in demonstration until their demands were met, including Khan's release from "unlawful" custody.
The capital's police chief told a news conference that the sweeping operation on Tuesday night involved "nonlethal" weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, resulting in the arrest of nearly 1,000 protesters.
Ali Nasir Rizvi said that clashes with demonstrators resulted in the deaths of at least three law enforcement personnel and injured more than 70 others, with some suffering "bullet injuries." He alleged that participants in the rally used "firearms" and slings. Authorities also reported the death of a police officer on Monday.
The PTI and residents in neighborhoods near the conflict zone disputed police claims, accusing security forces of resorting to intense gunfire at peaceful marchers that resulted in deaths and injuries to dozens of them. PTI officials reported the deaths of at least 10 protesters.
While government officials were silent about civilian casualties, local journalists in social media comments supported the opposition's claims, alleging that authorities were hiding the truth about casualties.
"Today, armed security forces launched a violent assault on peaceful PTI protesters in Islamabad, firing live rounds with the intent to kill as many people as possible," the opposition party said in a statement. "The world must condemn this atrocity and the erosion of democracy and humanity in Pakistan."
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi hailed the security crackdown, saying law enforcement forces "bravely repulsed the protesters."
Authorities also disrupted mobile internet service across Islamabad, closed schools and used scores of shipping containers as roadblocks to prevent or limit the size of the PTI rally.
Khan's party announced Wednesday it was canceling the protest march, part of its campaign for his release and that of numerous party members reportedly detained without trial.
The PTI is also seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his coalition government, alleging the February elections that put them in power were rigged. Sharif denounced the protest march as "extremism" and "unacceptable."
The PTI won more seats than any other party in the elections but not enough to form a government, enabling Sharif to form a ruling coalition of parties aligned with the military.
Khan, prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was ousted through an opposition parliamentary vote of no-confidence after falling out with the powerful military.
The 72-year-old former cricket star-turned-politician has been imprisoned since August 2023, facing more than 150 criminal cases, which include charges of corruption, terrorism and instigation of violence against military properties.
Khan denies the charges, calling them politically motivated and orchestrated by the military - accusations his successor and army officials dismiss as unfounded.
The Sharif government maintains that it has nothing to do with Khan's legal challenges and that only courts can order his release.
The PTI asserts that all convictions have been either overturned or suspended by appeals courts due to lack of evidence, but authorities keep coming up with new charges.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has recently called for Khan's immediate release, saying he is being detained illegally and in breach of international law.
Khan's removal from office has plunged Pakistan into protracted political turmoil, fueling his popularity and making him the country's most popular politician.
The military has staged several coups and governed Pakistan for more than three decades since its independence in 1947. Khan and other prominent Pakistani politicians say that the military interferes in the working of elected governments even when not formally in power.