ISLAMABAD: Disgruntled workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vented their frustration by smashing the windows of vehicles belonging to Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur after both leaders abruptly left a protest midway.
Videos circulating on social media show angry protesters pelting stones and hitting the vehicles with sticks. The workers were assured that the sit-in would persist until Imran Khan’s release.
However, the demonstration was suddenly called off following a government crackdown, leaving supporters feeling abandoned as key leaders departed the scene.
The PTI’s “do-or-die” protest, aimed at securing Khan’s release, ended with nearly 1,000 party supporters arrested. PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja claimed that at least 20 people lost their lives during the protests and announced plans to approach the courts against the government, the Ministry of Interior, and the interior minister.
Islamabad’s police chief, Ali Rizvi, refuted claims of live ammunition use during the operation and confirmed that 600 protesters were detained on Tuesday, raising the total number of arrests since the sit-in began to 954. Weapons, including automatic rifles and tear gas guns, were reportedly seized from the protest site.
Images from the aftermath show ragpickers scavenging a burned-out rally truck used by Bushra Bibi near Islamabad’s Red Zone on November 27, 2024.
The latest protest has further deepened political divisions in the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for decisive measures to eliminate “politics of agitation” and restore stability.
Meanwhile, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) plans to table a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly seeking a ban on PTI, citing the deaths of law enforcement personnel during the protests.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
