ISLAMABAD, Nov 26 : Four paramilitary soldiers were killed on Tuesday during clashes near Pakistan's parliament between security forces and protesters who were demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The interior ministry confirmed the deaths but did not say who was responsible. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed the protesters, accusing them of ramming the paramilitary troops with a convoy of vehicles.
"It is not a peaceful protest. It is extremism," Sharif said in a statement, aimed at achieving "evil political designs".
Information minister Attaullah Tarar said the protesters appeared bent on fomenting chaos but said authorities would not allow that, adding: "No one will be spared."
A Reuters witness said hundreds of protesters had reached D-Chowk in the capital Islamabad, a square near the parliament that has been a historic rallying point for protests.
Calling for the government's resignation among other demands, the protesters ransacked vehicles and set a police kiosk on fire.
The protesters also attacked and wounded journalists at two separate locations, people from two media houses told Reuters.
The interior ministry said the army had been deployed to protect diplomatic missions in the fortified red zone area where government buildings and embassies are located. Authorities have said a curfew could be imposed in the capital.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party rejected Sharif's accusation that the paramilitary troops had been rammed, and it reiterated that party supporters would hold a sit-in outside the parliament until their demands were met.
"No protesters ran over any rangers," PTI spokesman Zulfikar Bukhari said, referring to the paramilitary troops. "In fact, there are videos viral on social media of protesters protecting and hugging rangers. This is a narrative the government is trying to create so they have the licence to kill."
Khan's wife Bushra Bibi has announced a peaceful sit-in and supporters will set up camp while others head to Islamabad from around the country, Bukhari added.
The protest march, which Khan has described as the "final call", is one of many his party has held to seek his release since he was jailed in August last year. —REUTERS
