Pakistani forces launch midnight raid on protesters

Pakistan's security forces launched a sweeping midnight raid on supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan who had stormed the capital demanding his release on Tuesday, local media said, with hundreds arrested amidst chaotic scenes.

Thousands of protesters had earlier gathered in the centre of Islamabad after a convoy, led by Khan's wife, broke through several lines of security all the way to the edge of the city's highly fortified red zone.

The red zone, guarded by army soldiers, houses the country's most important offices and buildings, including the parliament and an enclave of foreign missions.

At least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers, were killed before the Tuesday night raid was launched.

Local broadcasters Geo News and ARY both reported that a massive raid was launched by security forces amidst a pitch-dark central Islamabad, where lights had been turned off and a barrage of teargas was fired. The protest gathering was almost completely dispersed, they reported.

Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said they planned on staging a sit-in in the red zone until the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August last year.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, speaking to journalists, ruled out any negotiations with the protesters who he said had used weapons against security forces and were heavily armed and had broken a ban on gatherings in the city.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed the protesters for the soldiers' deaths, accusing them of ramming the paramilitary troops with a convoy of vehicles.

Zulfikar Bukhari, spokesman for PTI, denied that charge. He said two protesters had also been killed and 30 injured in the clashes, the worst political violence seen in months in the South Asian nation of 241 million people.

One of the protesters was shot dead and the other was run over by a vehicle, Bukhari said. Authorities did not respond to a query seeking to confirm the deaths and Reuters could not independently verify the information.

Earlier, in a post on X from jail, Khan, 72, said his message to his supporters was to fight till the end.

"We will not back down until our demands are met," he said, accusing security forces of firing on peaceful party workers.