A large-scale crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters took place in Islamabad on Tuesday night, as law enforcement forces launched an operation to clear key protest zones, including Kulsoom Plaza Chowk and the Blue Area.
Reports indicate that the main PTI protest convoy has dispersed, with Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur leaving the Blue Area together in the same vehicle. The operation, which involved Rangers, ATS commandos, and approximately 1,500 personnel from Punjab and Islamabad police, led to the arrest of over 500 PTI workers. In addition, security forces have reinstated all containers that protesters had removed from Jinnah Avenue to restore the blockades.
Initially, there were reports suggesting that Bushra Bibi and Gandapur would be arrested. However, it later emerged that the two had left their containers two hours prior, and party leadership had not been in contact with them since then. Witnesses reported intense shelling and gunfire between Khyber Chowk and Kulsoom Plaza as police advanced to clear the protest zones.
Additionally, a key container used by PTI in their march caught fire near Kulsoom Plaza Chowk. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze. Earlier in the evening, law enforcement teams from Rangers, Islamabad Police, and Punjab Police successfully cleared D-Chowk and China Chowk of PTI protesters.
The joint operation forced the demonstrators back to Kulsoom Plaza Chowk and Khyber Plaza Chowk. A large contingent of Rangers and Punjab Police was deployed to secure these areas, while police teams armed with tear gas were stationed on nearby rooftops. Tear gas was fired intermittently to disperse the remaining protesters, with several arrests taking place during the operation.
As part of the crackdown, authorities turned off streetlights in the Blue Area and surrounding roads along Jinnah Avenue.
