The federal government on Sunday called out the military to secure the highly-guarded Red Zone after thousands of supporters of Mumtaz Qadri stormed the red zone, seeking release of their colleagues.
The protesters holding sticks and water bottles at their hands entered the Red Zone from Jinnah Avenue and marched all the way up to the Parliament House, crossing all the blockades and resisting heavy contingents of police and rangers.
The protesters started marching towards federal capital from Liaquat Bagh, Rawapindi, after attending the chehlum of Mumtaz Qadri, a police bodyguard who was executed last month for killing former governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer for alleged blasphemy.
The protesters who came to attend the chehlum of Mumtaz Qadri from all over the country did not give up despite heavy tear gas shelling by police and managed to enter the Red Zone.
They smashed the glass windows of about six Metro Bus Stations, situated on Jinnah Avenue after the police started tear gas shelling on them.
They also set ablaze the containers parked at entry points from where the Red Zone starts, pushing back the police.
As a result a large number of security personnel were wounded after the protesters pelted stones on them. They refused to hold talks with the Islamabad capital Territory (ICT) administration, leaving the government with no option but to requisite the military in order to secure important and sensitive buildings situated inside the Red Zone.
In a tweet, the Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Asim Salim Bajwa said: "2100 Hours Update Law and Order Islamabad: Army has been requisitioned by the Govt (government) to control situation and secure Red Zone".
The deputy commissioner Islamabad came to hold talks with the protesters before the army was called out, but it also failed to yield any positive results.
A well over 20,000 supporters of Mumtaz Qadri gathered in Islamabad's twin city Rawalpindi in the afternoon to offer prayers, before turning toward the heavily-barricaded capital which was patrolled by hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers.
Riot police carrying batons and shields fired tear gas to try to prevent them pushing closer to the city centre. But they managed to cross all the hurdles right from Liaquat Bagh to D-Chowk.
Procession has also marched towards Islamabad via Faizabad interchange to protest against government, chanting slogans against the government.
The protesters were demanding to release their colleagues who were rounded up by the police in wake of Qadri's execution for hate speech and igniting people for violence.
Emergency was declared in all the hospitals of the capital. All hospitals, including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the Federal Government Service Hospital, commonly known as Polyclinic and the CDA Hospital, have received a notification from the Islamabad administration directing them to take precautionary measures.
Police said 16 civilians, 42 policemen and eight Rangers personnel were injured in clashes with protesters while scores of miscreants were taken into custody. Some injured due to tear gas shelling by police were shifted to different hospitals.
Thousands of protesters were staging sit-in at D-Chowk, demanding the government to release their people whom they claim were held by the police in wake of Qadri's execution.
The talks between ICT administration and the clerics were continued till filing of this report.
Comments
Comments are closed.