New Delhi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers Tuesday ransacked the Army General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, while the residence of the commander of the IV Corps in Lahore was set ablaze and that of the commander of the XII Corps was attacked in Balochistan’s Quetta.
The unpreceded protests against Pakistan’s Army broke out soon after the arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan by the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary force.
Rangers abducted PTI Chairman Imran Khan, these are the visuals. Pakistan’s brave people must come out and defend their country. pic.twitter.com/hJwG42hsE4
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023
Protests also broke out outside the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Islamabad, with PTI supporters attempting to storm the building. According to reports in the Pakistani media, rioting and arson have broken out in various parts of the country.
But one image that clearly stands out is the mood of supporters storming the GHQ, which is the seat of power of the Pakistan Army, viewed as the most powerful institution in the country.
GHQ Rawalpindi being surrounded by Pakistanis, as more and more people continue to march towards it.#نکلو_خان_کی_زندگی_بچاؤ#ShutDownPakistan pic.twitter.com/zLSi7QadI2
— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) May 9, 2023
Crowds of PTI supporters gathered at the gates of the GHQ and raised slogans before pelting stones. Within minutes, they broke through the gates, with hapless armed Pakistan soldiers wondering what to do. The people stormed the ground floor area of the sprawling building with sticks in their hand and shattered glass and various wall fixtures.
Upset with the arrest of their leader, protesters also stormed the official residence of the Army Commander in Lahore.
“Kaha tha Imran Khan ko na chhedna (Had warned, don’t harass Imran Khan),” a protester is heard saying in a video shot on the lawn of the Corp Commander’s residence in Lahore. Videos from the scene shot later show a part of the residence on fire.
Protesters also broke through the Corps Commander’s house in Quetta. Reports coming in from Pakistan suggest that soldiers at the location opened fire, killing some of the protesters.
It was not just the Pakistan Army which was targeted. PTI workers also destroyed a memorial of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Sargodha in the Punjab province, while at the Mianwali air base, a decommissioned F-6 aircraft placed outside the entrance gate was set on fire.
Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan also staged demonstrations outside the headquarters of the Frontier Corps in Peshawar. Police fired tear gas and water cannons at several places in the country to displace protesters who have blocked roads.
Thousands of supporters blocked the streets in Lahore, Khan’s hometown, and marched towards the Cantonment area where they indulged in arson.
Imran Khan’s party, the PTI, has called on supporters to “shut down Pakistan”. “It’s your time, people of Pakistan. Khan has always stood for you, now it’s time to stand for him,” the party wrote on Twitter.
Past attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore residence had resulted in fiery clashes between PTI supporters and the police.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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