ISLAMABAD: Authorities have arrested over 1,100 supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan who stormed the capital this week to demand his release, Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Babar Sarfraz Alpa said on Thursday, saying 60 Afghan nationals living illegally in the country were among those being held.
Clashes broke out between law enforcers and supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party this week after they set out for Islamabad in caravans from different parts of the country to demand the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023.
The government has accused the PTI of deploying Afghan nationals to take part in the anti-government protests.
Speaking at a news conference, Alpa said protesters shot directly at police officers and used teargas while police showed restraint.
“Police have registered 32 cases in the total region and till now have arrested 1,151 suspects successfully,” Alpa told reporters. “When these suspects’ data was checked, it came to light that there were 64 Afghans among them, out of which four have resident cards and 60 are illegal [nationals],” he said.
Police and Khan supporters clashed in Rawalpindi city near Islamabad on Sunday and Monday night, with the government saying four troops were killed. The protesters were dispersed after a late night raid on Wednesday, after which the PTI said at least 20 of its supporters had been killed.
Alpa said at least 170 police officers had been injured in the protests, including senior police officials.
On Wednesday, soon after the Islamabad police chief said Afghans were among those arrested in the protests, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced Afghan citizens would not be allowed to live in the federal capital after Dec. 31 unless they were issued a special certificate by the district administration.
The move is the latest blow to Afghans living in Pakistan, with nearly 800,000 that Islamabad says were residing in the country ‘illegally’ expelled since November last year when the government launched a deportation drive that has drawn widespread criticism from international governments and rights organizations.
Authorities began expelling illegal foreigners from Nov. 1, 2023, following a spike in bombings which the Pakistan government says were carried out by Afghan nationals or by militants who crossed over into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan. Islamabad has also blamed illegal Afghan immigrants and refugees for involvement in smuggling and other crimes. The Taliban government in Kabul says Pakistan’s security and other challenges are a domestic issue and cannot be blamed on the neighbor.
