Army deployed to stop violent demonstrations in Pakistan’s Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan

At least seven people were killed and nearly 300 others were injured in violent clashes between Imran Khan’s supporters and security forces in Pakistan in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the army was deployed on Wednesday to quell violent protests in Pakistan’s Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. At least 14 government buildings/establishments were torched by supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Punjab province following Imran Khan’s dramatic arrest in a corruption case on Tuesday, police said.

Law enforcement agencies have so far arrested 1,150 PTI supporters, including women, in Punjab alone. PTI general secretary Asad Umar, former Punjab governor Umar Sarfaraz Cheema and PTI vice-president Shah Mehmood Qureshi were also arrested on Wednesday. In view of the arrest of PTI chief Imran, the situation remained tense in several other cities of Punjab including Lahore on Wednesday. As the police failed to control the law and order situation in the province, the Punjab government asked for the deployment of the army.

To control the situation, a request has been made to deploy 10 army companies in Punjab province with a population of 120 million. The Central Government has approved the deployment of the Army in Punjab. According to a statement issued by the Punjab Police, the protesters set ablaze 14 government establishments/buildings and 21 police vehicles in Punjab. Over 130 officers of security agencies have been injured. Police arrested 1,150 miscreants during clashes with security agencies and damage to state property.

Police said those involved in setting fire to government establishments were being identified through video footage and strict action would be taken against them. According to Imran Khan’s party, one person each has been killed in the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad etc. in Punjab. It said that more than 150 protesters were injured in Punjab alone. Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, is virtually cut off from the rest of the country due to protests by PTI workers on all main roads. Protesters on Tuesday torched the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore after vandalizing it.

They also pelted stones at the Governor’s House and attacked the ruling PML-N headquarters in Lahore, setting fire to vehicles parked there. In several videos posted on social media, supporters of Imran Khan can be seen carrying club and party flags at the corps commander’s house in the cantonment area. The protesters broke the main gate of the Corps Commander’s house. Video footage posted on social media showed Imran’s supporters smashing window panes, TVs and furniture in the house, and setting trees and furniture on fire. In another video, protesters were seen pelting stones and bottles at an army convoy on Mall Road in Lahore.

At least four people were killed and 27 others were injured in clashes between protesters and police in Peshawar. A spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital has confirmed this. Radio Pakistan Director General Peshawar Tahir Hasan told the media that the protesters also set fire to the building of the state-run Radio Pakistan, causing heavy damage to the studio, auditorium and other facilities. The Associated Press of Pakistan office in the building was ransacked and damaged. Protesters clashed with police in Islamabad and the Srinagar highway connecting the national capital to the international airport was blocked for several hours.

Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan told the media that at least five policemen were injured. “We are making all possible efforts to restore peace and disperse the protesters,” he said. The army has also been deployed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Islamabad as violence broke out. In Sindh, the government imposed Section 144 to control the situation. Police informed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah that around 270 people had been arrested in the province.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary appealed to his supporters to maintain peace and said that attempts were being made to malign his party’s image. Imran (70) was arrested on Tuesday by the country’s paramilitary forces on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) when he was present at the Islamabad High Court for a hearing in a corruption case. After the arrest of former cricketer Imran, his party supporters are protesting on a large scale across the country.

Disclaimer:IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.

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