— Imran enters Islamabad, heads towards D-Chowk
— Govt hands over capital to army
ISLAMABAD: Despite daylong skirmishes between the PTI workers and security forces, former prime minister Imran Khan entered the limits of Islamabad with eyes on D-Chowk as the destination for the sit-in.
D-Chowk remained the centre of attention as party workers go control of the place while the police resorted to extreme shelling to disperse the young and old workers gathered at the Chowk. Imran hadn’t not reached D-Chowk until late at night.
Many old and kids were seen badly affected due to shelling as some women workers fainted due to the shelling. Authorities were mulling proposal to deploy army in the federal capital.
Meanwhile, internet disruptions and power outages were reported across Pakistan the whole day.
Imran entered the Capital city around 11:30 pm while the party workers were facing the worst shelling at D-Chowk.
Police reinforcements also arrived to secure D-Chowk from PTI workers by midnight as Imran Khan headed towards the place.
It was not easy to enter the capital for Khan as the Police aided by paramilitary forces had erected hurdles one after another from Swabi Interchange in KP to Islamabad.
Even inside the capital, Police brutalities added a new chapter in history as women, young and old were targeted by the law enforcing agencies, injuring many.
Not only the PTI workers and leaders were targeted but common citizens also came under attack as LEAs targeted anyone who came out. Former ministers Hammad Azhar, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Bilal Virk and many others got injured due to heavy shelling. Five PTI workers were reportedly killed in violence.
But defiant PTI workers were still able to stage protests by pulling away containers and crossing over blocked roads.
Much later in the evening, in a video message tweeted by the PTI, Imran asked “all Pakistanis” to take to the streets in their respective cities and said people heading to Islamabad must reach D-Chowk.
“I will make it there in a couple of hours.” He also appealed to women and children to come out of their homes for “real independence”. Imran said it was “good news” that the Supreme Court had decided that no one would be arrested during the march.
“Your collective presence will send a message across Pakistan that the nation has rejected this imported government.”
Earlier, around 6pm, the main convoy from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which includes PTI chief Imran Khan, was able to enter Punjab from Attock after successfully removing barricades placed by the Punjab government at the Attock bridge to stop marchers from entering the province.
Some prominent PTI leaders, including Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari, also urged supporters to make their way to the capital’s D-Chowk, saying that all containers and blockades on the way had been removed.
There are reports of intense shelling in Islamabad’s Blue Area, with television footage showing smoke rising from the ground and fires in the green belts adjacent to main roads.
Imran departed for Islamabad from the Wali Interchange in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Afterwards, PTI tweeted a photo of Imran waving to supporters from a truck adorned with PTI colours.
After reaching Swabi, Imran, holding a Pakistan flag, delivered a speech to supporters saying that “we are going to D-Chowk and no one can stop us” as the crowd cheered.
Calling the incumbent government a “group of thieves”, he termed them the most corrupt people in the country and said that they were afraid of the masses which is why they had placed containers.
Meanwhile, other party leaders departed from their respective locations, with Hammad Azhar, Yasmin Rashid and some others from Lahore, while Shehryar Afridi led a demo from Kohar and Shahid Khattak departed from Karak.
PTI’s Fayyazul Hasan Chohan could be seen on television footage departing for Islamabad on a motorcycle.
Imran Khan rubbished the reports of a deal with the government as “rumours and deliberate disinformation.
“Absolutely not!” He said the party was moving towards Islamabad and would remain in the capital until “dates for dissolution of assemblies and elections are given”. He also urged supporters from Islamabad and Rawalpindi to embark on the march.
At a press conference, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “must have formed a negotiation team” by now in light of the Supreme Court order on a petition filed by the PTI earlier in the day.
He said PTI had already formed its team led by Dr Babar Awan. The minister said the situation in Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh was relatively peaceful, adding it was just KP where protesters were using state machinery and heading towards Islamabad.
He said the government would abide by the court’s order for upholding peace and the law and order situation in the country.
Sanaullah said police had carried out a total of 4,417 swoops on PTI supporters’ homes, offices and on protest rallies and had arrested nearly 1,700 people. Of those, 250 were freed after they submitted affidavits that they had nothing to do with the protest march, he said.
Meanwhile, police fired tear gas at protesters near the Chacch Interchange in Hazro town of Attock district. According to sources, the protesters had brought a crane and were attempting to remove the containers that were blocking the way.
Sources have reported roadblocks in Faisalabad, Gujranwala and other cities in Punjab, with shelling on PTI supporters trying to cross these.
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered police to release all detained people after obtaining an undertaking from them assuring they would not indulge in any illegal activity or violate the law.
Aside from Gujranwala, Sadhoke, Chenab Bridge, Khanki Headway and the city area have been completely blocked.
