Interior minister vows strict action after day of clashes between Islamabad police, PTI protesters

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday warned of strict action in the coming days against PTI protesters after a day of clashes between the police and the party’s supporters.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad with the federal capital’s and Punjab police chiefs, Naqvi said: “An assault was waged which was being led by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister himself and it is before you the way they (protesters) inflicted violence on the police, I don’t need to tell you.”

He said the police had evidence of live firing, adding that a total of 564 individuals were arrested, including 120 Afghans and 11 KP police personnel.

Naqvi said the interior minister had initiated a high-level inquiry into how a provincial police force was involved in the protests and “attacked [other] police officers”, adding that “this has happened for the first time in Pakistan”.

The interior minister vowed: “Who ordered this? I assure you that whoever has given the instructions and has used the police, we will take strict action against them, submit the report to the prime minister after the inquiry and then action will be taken after that.”

Key developments:

• PTI supporters reach D-Chowk amid heavy rain
• PTI claims CM Gandapur arrested by Rangers from KP House
• Mobile and internet services still suspended in twin cities
• Indictment of Imran Khan, spouse Bushra Bibi in new Toshakhana case adjourned
• IHC orders administration to designate protest spot
• Army deployed in Punjab
• 200 PTI workers booked under MPO, ATA
• More army contingents called up in Islamabad

He commended the police for how they handled the day’s affairs and exhibited restraint in not resorting to the use of firing. Naqvi said the area up to Centaurus Mall was now clear and the police would carry out further clearance operations in the area tonight.

“It is the effort of my team to bring life to routine as quickly as possible.”

He said 31 Islamabad police and 75 Punjab police personnel were injured but had not opened fire on the protesters in line with the government’s policy to avoid a loss of life.

“The strictest of action will be taken against whoever was involved in this episode, no matter if they’ve been arrested or not, no matter who they are, from those who ordered all the way down to the worker and you will see this in the coming days because we cannot afford this drama that Islamabad is our capital and you assault it every other day.”

He reiterated that all those involved, including CM Gandapur, would be strictly pursued.

Separately, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi hinted at the potential implementation of governor’s rule. During an interview on DawnNewsTV show ‘Doosra Rukh’, the governor maintained that whatever was present in the Constitution “is an option for us”.

“If the situation gets out of hand, we will take the decision. If we need to perform an amputation to save the body, we will do so,” he added, stating that governor’s rule had been implemented in the past.

“If Pakistan’s democracy is at risk, there is no shame in taking harsh decisions for the sake of the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the situation in the capital continued to remain tense today, a day after violent clashes between PTI supporters and the police, while the party decided to go ahead with its Lahore protest amid blockades and high security.

Life in the capital and adjacent Rawalpindi remained disturbed for a second consecutive day with mobile network services suspended and major roads and entry points still blocked by containers.

Hundreds of PTI activists, including senior leaders, had gathered at multiple locations in Islamabad on Friday — defying heavy police blockades and road closures — for its planned protest at D-Chowk despite Section 144 in force.

Resultantly, Islamabad police rounded up over 100 PTI members and supporters as violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement officials were reported throughout the day, with several instances of stone-pelting and tear gas exchanges being witnessed.

According to a Dawn.com correspondent in Islamabad, the major and link roads between the twin cities and entry points connecting from Motorway M1, M2 and Grand Trunk Road were still blocked by containers on Saturday.

He added that except for PTCL and Nayatel broadband services, all other mobile and internet services were down, causing major issues for the local residents. Schools were also closed in both cities for a second day.

Interestingly, the indictment of Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi in a Toshakhana graft case, which had been earlier deferred until today (October 5), was once again postponed due to the situation in Rawalpindi.

As roads remained blocked in the garrison city, the judges could not reach Adiala Jail to conduct the hearing. Subsequently, the hearings of Imran’s Toshakhana and £190m graft cases were adjourned till October 7 and October 8, respectively.

Meanwhile, PTV said more soldiers were deployed to make security arrangements in the federal capital “fool-proof”.

A statement issued on its X account said that the army took up security duties at Srinagar highway and that it would deal with any mischief in the federal capital with “iron hands”.

“Pakistan Army has taken over all the routes leading to D Chowk in Islamabad. For law enforcement, Pakistan Army is carrying out responsibilities together with local administration,” the statement said.

An earlier statement issued by PTV said army troops were actively patrolling the city to deal with any emergency. “The army has also been given clear and unambiguous rules of engagement. No miscreants will be allowed to disrupt law and order,” the statement said.

PTI supporters reach D-Chowk

PTI supporters flocked to D-Chowk as heavy rain in Islamabad dampened the effect of tear gas shelling by the police.

A Dawn.com correspondent present at the scene said PTI protesters occupied D-Chowk as police were forced back after smoke from the shot tear gas shells flowed back over to the law enforcement personnel due to the strong gusty winds.

Law enforcement personnel later returned to D-Chowk after the rain subsided.

The PTI also shared footage of its supporters thronging D-Chowk.

The party said its political committee decided that the protest would continue and demanded the immediate release of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

IHC orders administration to designate area for protests

Separately, the Islamabad High Court ordered that the federal government and city administration designate a space and facilitate protests by the PTI.

The IHC recognised that “life in ICT has come to a halt”, stating that students could not sit examinations and access to the airport and medical facilities had been affected.

It noted that the right to protest was protected under Articles 16 and 17 of the Constitution, however, it was “subject to reasonable and proportional restrictions in accordance with law”.

It also noted that the army had been deployed and that the federal government had a responsibility to “ensure that the law and order situation in ICT is maintained by imposition of reasonable and proportional measures to ensure safety and public order”.

The court ordered that “in view of the said position, no unlawful assembly shall be allowed to be held in ICT keeping in view the provisions of Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024”.

However, it also ordered that “the ICT administration and the federal government shall ensure that the assembly is held at the designated place and the participants of this protest are facilitated in that regard.”

It ordered that the federal government and the capital administration designate a zone for the PTI to stage its protest and facilitate the party.

The court also ordered that there would be no “unlawful” protests in Islamabad during the period of the SCO Summit.

Confusion over KP CM’s arrest

PTI leaders and officials from KP retracted claims about CM Gandapur’s arrest but said that Rangers personnel were present in Islamabad’s KP House.

They earlier claimed that Rangers personnel “forcefully entered” KP House to arrest CM Gandapur after he arrived in the capital to become a part of his party’s protest.

However, KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Saif subsequently said in a statement on X: “The KP CM has not been formally arrested, a heavy contingent of Rangers and police are present at the KP House. The KP CM is on bail till October 25. If arrested, it will be an insult to the mandate of the people of KP, the fake government will have to answer for such unconstitutional and illegal actions.”

Nawaz Mehmood, PTI KP’s deputy general secretary, also said that Gandapur had not been arrested. However, he said CM Gandapur was detained inside KP House in the capital by law enforcement personnel.

Mehmood told Dawn.com that the party’s protest would continue at D-chowk as planned.

State broadcaster PTV also issued a statement which said that “sources are saying that the news of the arrest of Ali Amin Gandapur is wrong.”

Another statement by PTV also said that reports about the presence of Rangers were “baseless and fabricated”.

Another also reiterated that CM Gandapur was not arrested and further rubbished reports of firing by security forces.

The PTI, which also held a protest in Lahore, earlier claimed in a post on X, saying: “Rangers have forcefully entered KP House and launched an aggressive attack in an attempt to arrest CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur.

“This blatant abuse of power is deeply shameful, raising serious concerns about the state of lawlessness in Pakistan.

“After failing to stop the public from reaching Islamabad, they have now resorted to arresting a sitting chief minister of a province.

“Those in key institutions are determined to push the country towards anarchy, solely to retain their illegitimate power, without realising the irreparable damage they are inflicting on Pakistan.”

PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari alleged that CM Gandapur was being “held hostage in exchange for calling off the protest”.

It remained unclear in what case the Rangers could be seeking Gandapur’s possible arrest as the Peshawar High Court had on Friday granted protective bail to him till Oct 25, directing the law enforcement agencies not to arrest him in cases registered against him in Islamabad and the Punjab province.

Separately, a Special Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh had previously extended the PTI leader’s pre-arrest bail until Oct 17.

KP CM reaches capital as PTI to continue protest

CM Gandapur reached the capital earlier in the day after PTI founder Imran renewed his call for the demonstrations, asking people to continue their journeys towards D-Chowk, as well as Lahore’s Minar-i-Pakistan for the planned rally there.

“You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday and overcame unbelievable obstacles,” the former premier said according to a post on his X account.

“I especially want to commend our people from KP, North Punjab and Islamabad,” he added, saying they “defeated insurmountable obstacles, including shelling, chemicals fired from helicopters, trenches and nails on the motorway”.

The post, quoting Imran, called on the people to move towards Minar-i-Pakistan, adding that if they were unable to make it to Lahore, they should join the protest in their cities.

“This is a fight for our Haqeeqi Azadi (true freedom),” he said.

In a post on X at around 3pm, the PTI announced the arrival of its procession from KP in Islamabad, which CM Gandapur was leading.

According to a Dawn.com correspondent present at the scene, Rangers followed the chief minister inside the KP house.

A heavy contingent of the police and Rangers stormed the house, the PTI said in a post on X.

Authorities had earlier dug trenches and placed iron nails on a stretch of the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway to prevent the caravan from reaching the capital.

In another post, the PTI alleged “Naqvi and PML-N have ordered massive tear gas shelling at D-Chowk”, sharing a purported video of the same.

Mehmood, who was present with protesters at Jinnah Avenue, told Dawn.com that their protest for the release of Imran and his fellow party leaders would continue at D-Chowk.

He urged party workers to avoid damaging public property, claiming that he saw plain-clothed people from security agencies trying to do the same to “repeat May 9” incidents.

“I request the building owners of Blue Area to not allow police deployment at their building rooftops as they are supposed to use teargas against PTI’s peaceful protesters,” he said.

120 Afghan nationals arrested during PTI clashes: Naqvi

Separately, Naqvi said earlier today that a total of 120 Afghan nationals were arrested in the past 48 hours, with 41 of them “caught” in yesterday’s clashes between the PTI and the Islamabad police.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad today, Naqvi said: “Forty-one Afghan nationals were caught in yesterday’s clashes and a total of 120 Afghan nationals in the previous 48 hours, which is alarming […] a country’s own public protesting is a separate thing.”

He further said that the capital police were fired at near Pathargarh, where he said CM Gandapur’s caravan passed through.

“They were firing tear gas. How did they get so much tear gas?” the interior minister wondered, adding that “80 to 85 policemen” were injured as a result and were undergoing treatment.

Naqvi said there was “evidence of chats and groups” where people from “Bannu and tribal areas were being told to bring guns and weapons”.

Stating that he was in contact with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Naqvi asserted that the government would not allow the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad to be “sabotaged”.

“Now we have an idea of their motives. The [PTI] leadership who ordered this is responsible. The KP CM is practically implementing this and is responsible as he is leading the protest,” Naqvi said.

Punjab deploys army

Meanwhile, amid the PTI’s plan to hold a protest at Lahore’s Minar-i-Pakistan, the Punjab government issued orders for army troops to be deployed, allowing it to take certain measures to “maintain law and order”.

The PTI called its planned protest — to demand a cut in inflation, independence of the judiciary and Imran’s release — a “do or die”, despite all entry and exit points of Lahore being heavily barricaded amid a ban on rallies under Section 144.

The Punjab Home Department issued orders for the “requisition/deployment of troops of Pakistan Army in aid of civil power for maintaining law and order situation” in the province.

Its notification issued on Saturday, seen by Dawn.com, set the Rules of Engagement (ROEs) for the army.

It specified that the armed forces, civil armed forces and police would be deployed “around the airbase/ airport, routes, venues, accommodation, etc, falling within the territorial jurisdiction” of Punjab to maintain law and order as well as provide security to foreign delegates during the upcoming SCO summit.

Under the ROEs, the armed forces would be “allowed to take such measures as warranted by the situation, including using of firearms”.

“Exact contours of deployment of armed forces will be determined by the military commander on ground in consultation with police commander,” the notification read.

The ROEs enable the local commander to employ certain measures in the event they are “preempted to get any information of any threat or are attacked or threatened by hostile elements”.

In the absence of local police authorities, the rules allow the armed forces to “detain any person who commits or threatens to commit a crime”.

The rules include “show of force, including the use of Riot Control Agents (RCAs)”; “warning shot may be fired over the heads of hostile elements”; that a “hostile fire should be returned effectively and promptly to stop hostile act”; and “unrestricted use of electronic monitoring as deemed appropriate by local commander”.

“Use of minimum force under the circumstances and proportionate to threat, however, no rule/ legal procedure limits one’s right to take appropriate action to defend himself and the infrastructure/ entities entrusted to him,” one of the rules read.

A statement from Lahore’s Edhi Information Bureau said that the entrances and exits of the entire city were closed and the charity had deployed its ambulances at important points in Lahore.

“Fifty Edhi ambulances and 150 Edhi volunteers are performing duty in Lahore city,” said a spokesperson for the foundation.

The spokesperson added that keeping in view the situation in Lahore, Edhi volunteers were ready for any emergency.

PTI’s Karachi headquarters raided

PTI’s Karachi head office Insaf House was also raided with police allegedly arresting party workers.

According to a statement released by PTI Karachi Information Secretary Fauzia Siddiqui, the party’s Karachi Chief Secretary Arsalan Khalid condemned the raid, stating that party workers and Insaf House staff were arrested from the premises and even their homes.

“The Sindh Government has gone mad,” Khalid said in the statement.

“They (the police) have completely surrounded Insaf House and are arresting party workers and staff members. They raided my house and those of fellow officials.”

The statement quotes Khalid as saying that the action was a sign that the ruling PPP was losing and added that the whole nation would come together for Imran’s release.

“The people of this country are being oppressed by Form 47 (the federal government),” the statement reads. “The people of Karachi must have faith, we will come out for our captain.”

Siddiqui posted on X that the homes of the PTI leadership in Karachi were being raided.

200 PTI workers booked under MPO, ATA

At least 200 PTI protesters who had gathered near Faizabad were booked by the Rawalpindi police for “attacking and injuring” four cops.

The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, invoked Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 1960; Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (acts of terrorism); and sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant), 427 (mischief causing damage amounting to Rs50), 324 (attempted murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The FIR said around 200-225 protestors started pelting stones and attacked the police with sticks, due to which four policemen got injured.

It alleged that the screen of a police vehicle was damaged in the violence that ensued, adding that nearby shops were also damaged.

*Header image: Police attempt to disperse PTI protesters in Islamabad on Saturday. — Mohammad Asim/White Star