Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the opposition party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has called off its protest in Islamabad after a harsh government crackdown. Atif Khan, a PTI lawmaker, confirmed the decision, citing the government’s “brutal action” as the reason.
The protest, which began on Sunday, posed the biggest political challenge to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government since it came to power. The demonstrations turned deadly, resulting in six fatalities, including four security personnel. Thousands of PTI supporters clashed with police and breached barricades to reach the capital, demanding Khan’s release from jail.
On Tuesday, protesters gathered near Islamabad’s Red Zone, planning a sit-in until their demands were met. However, a forceful overnight operation by law enforcement cleared the main protest avenue, with hundreds of demonstrators arrested, according to the Interior Ministry. Top PTI leaders, including Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur, fled the area during the crackdown, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reported.
Imran Khan, facing over 150 legal cases ranging from corruption to abuse of power during his tenure as prime minister, has been in jail since his ousting in 2022.
The protests also disrupted Pakistan’s financial markets earlier in the week, adding to the economic challenges Sharif’s government faces. The administration is implementing stringent economic reforms under the International Monetary Fund’s loan program, including new taxes on agriculture and retail sectors.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced that the main protest site had been cleared and that barricades would be removed on Wednesday, signaling an end to the two-day unrest. Sharif has dismissed the demonstrations as a distraction from his government’s efforts to stabilize the nation’s fragile economy.
