A massive crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters unfolded in Islamabad on Tuesday night, as law enforcement launched a large-scale operation to clear key areas, including Kulsoom Plaza Chowk and the Blue Area.
It is reported that all the PTI workers in the main protest convoy have dispersed, while Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur have left the Blue Area in the same vehicle.
Earlier, it was reported that Bushra Bibi and Gandapur were likely to be arrested. Reportedly, Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur left the containers two hours ago, and since then the party leadership has not been in touch with them.
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The operation, involving Rangers, ATS commandos, and approximately 1,500 personnel from Punjab and Islamabad police, has resulted in the arrest of over 500 PTI workers, according to police sources. The security forces have also reinstated all containers removed by protesters from Jinnah Avenue to restore blockades.
Witnesses reported heavy shelling and gunfire between Khyber Chowk and Kulsoom Plaza as police advanced toward clearing the protest zones.
Moreover, a main container used in the PTI march caught fire near Kulsoom Plaza Chowk. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.
Earlier in the evening, Rangers, Islamabad Police, and Punjab Police successfully cleared D-Chowk and China Chowk of PTI protesters.
The joint action resulted in pushing back the demonstrators to Kulsoom Plaza Chowk and Khyber Plaza Chowk, while a heavy contingent of Rangers and Punjab Police was deployed to secure the vacated areas. Police teams responsible for firing teargas have been deployed on the rooftops of nearby buildings.
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Tear gas was intermittently fired to disperse remaining protesters, while several arrests were also made during the operation.
Authorities have extinguished lights in the Blue Area and along adjacent roads on Jinnah Avenue.
