6 people were killed during the protests against former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Pakistan.

• Six people were killed in a clash with security forces of supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday.
• Thousands of security personnel have been deployed in central Islamabad to control the protests.
• More than 4,000 Khan supporters have been arrested, the government has also suspended mobile and internet services, blocked key travel routes and banned rallies to quell the unrest.

Supporters demanding the release of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan broke up a ring of shipping containers blocking the capital on Tuesday, confronting security forces despite the government’s threat to respond with gunfire. Six people have been killed in the violence.

Thousands of security forces have moved into central Islamabad in an attempt to quell protests in support of Khan, which have gripped the capital and surrounding areas since Sunday. The popular politician has been in jail for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal charges that his party says are politically motivated.

Officials say only the courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted by a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022. He has been in prison since his first conviction in a corruption case in August 2023.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan sentenced to 10 years in prison in the cipher case

on Tuesday, Pakistan Army took control of D Square, a major square in Islamabad’s red zone, which houses important government buildings and is where Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Paramilitary Rangers and police were also out in force and some fired warning shots into the air.

Still, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who is leading the protests, marched slowly toward the square in a heavily guarded convoy, surrounded by well-wishers.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi threatened. Security forces If the protesters fire at them with weapons, they will respond with live fire.

“Now we have allowed the police to take any decision as per the situation,” Naqvi said while visiting the square later.

Imprisoned ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to the IMF in the election audit push

Demonstrator Shahzoor Ali said people were on the streets because Khan had invited them to come there. Ali said that we will stay here till Khan is not among us. They will decide what to do next.

He said that if they fired again, a bullet would be answered with a bullet.

Protester Farida Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered a lot over the past two years.

“We have really suffered in the last two years, be it economically, politically or socially. We are ruined. I have never seen such a Pakistan in my life,” he said.

Police have so far used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The dead include four members of the security services and a civilian who died in a road collision late Tuesday night. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying a “terrorist group” was deliberately targeting law enforcement officials. No one has accepted the responsibility for the ramming. A policeman was killed separately.

Several people, including journalists, were also injured in the attack by the protesters. Dozens of Khan’s supporters beat and took away a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press. He suffered head injuries and was treated at the hospital.

Meeting privileges with imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were canceled following reports of a possible attack

Pakistani media has largely stopped filming and photographing the rally, instead focusing on security measures and the city’s deserted streets.

By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters had made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Most of the protesters had the flag of Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf on their shoulders or wore its tricolor on their accessories.

Naqvi said Khan’s party rejected the government’s offer to hold a rally on the outskirts of the city.

Information Minister Atta Tarr warned that strict action will be taken. Government response to violence.

He said that the government does not want Bushra to achieve its goal of releasing Bibi Khan. “She wants bodies to fall to the ground. She wants bloodshed,” he said.

In an effort to quell the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in parts of the country, with messaging platforms also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. is

Khan’s party relies heavily on social media to demand Khan’s release and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible even with a VPN.

Click here to get the Fox News app.

On Thursday, a court banned rallies in the capital and Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Road closures for shipping containers have made travel between Islamabad and other cities almost impossible. All educational institutions remain closed.