ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police on Wednesday fired tear gas shells and lathi-charged supporters of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan from reaching the capital Islamabad.
Political and economic instability deepened in the South Asian nation ahead of a possible announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) later in the day on whether it would resume a $6 billion rescue package.
Khan has called on supporters to march on the capital and stay there till the new government is dissolved and the date for the new election is announced.
He was ousted in a trust vote by a united opposition last month after losing his allies in his coalition government.
“We are receiving reports that police lathi-charged and fired teargas shells to break up the protesters,” Amjad Malik, a Home Ministry official, told Reuters.
He said no one was seriously injured in the clashes, which were mostly reported in Punjab province, and that the police had arrested dozens of activists as well.
Live local TV footage showed police fighting with supporters, thrashing them and at some places breaking the glass panes of their vehicles and tying them to police vans.
Officials said the entry and exit routes of Islamabad, as well as all important establishments including parliament, government offices and diplomatic missions, have been blocked. He said entry and exit points for all major cities of Punjab province and the Grand Trunk (GT) Road were also blocked.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed since Tuesday evening.
Khan is leading a rally that started from the north-western city of Peshawar to reach the capital via GT Road.
The government has banned Khan’s march alleging that he was bringing the protesters to Islamabad with a “bad conspiracy”.
Khan’s party has petitioned the Supreme Court to order the government to lift the ban.
Foreign reserves fell to $10.3 billion – less than two months’ worth of imports – a sharply crashing Pakistani rupee and a double-digit inflation, political turmoil added to the unrest in the country.
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