He was numb. It almost felt as if he was standing outside his own body, says “Mohammed”. – Blood! Blood! howled the people around him. He thought he was going to die. That the protests that rocked Islamabad last week should degenerate as they did came as a shock to many. Tens of thousands of supporters of the imprisoned Imran Khan had flocked to Pakistan’s capital and taken to the streets. “Mohammed” was among the demonstrators who protested in Islamabad last week. He filmed the chaos with his phone, before it ran out of battery. The protesters wanted to show their support for the former prime minister and the opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The protests were led by Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, draped in a white shawl for the occasion. In the middle of what was to become a bloody chaos was “Mohammed”. Because of his security, he does not want news to use his real name. Bushra Bibi dressed in a white shawl stood on top of a truck heading towards the center of Islamabad on Tuesday 26 November. Standing next to her is PTI supremo Ali Amin Gandapur. Photo: Waseem Khan / Reuters So dead people shot in the face – No security forces carried live ammunition, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said at a press conference in Islamabad. The Pakistani newspaper Dawn writes that. He claims PTI is spreading misinformation about fake videos and photos from the protests on Tuesday last week. But on the phone, and via an interpreter, 22-year-old “Mohammed” tells news about what he experienced. About how he became so that people around him were shot and killed by snipers. About the panic that broke out when the state paramilitary forces, known as “Rangers”, fired teargas shells into the crowd and opened fire on protesters. During the evening the situation escalated. The lights were turned off, and the area known as D-Chowk, which houses government buildings, was plunged into pitch darkness. “Mohammed” says that the security forces surrounded the demonstrators and opened fire. Chaos broke out. People ran in all directions. It felt as if the shots were coming from all sides, says “Mohammed”. The demonstrators tried to move the containers that the authorities had deployed as roadblocks. Photo: Anjum Naveed / AP He says he saw several dead people on the ground with large gunshot wounds to the face. It was at this point that he thought he was going to die. But along with several other protesters, he defied his fears and made his way to the large truck driven by Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife. “Mohammed” says he wanted to protect her from the security forces. Security forces fire tear gas grenades at the protesters. In advance, the authorities had set up stacks of containers to block the protests. Photo: AAMIR QURESHI / AFP Unknown number of killed The details of “Mohammed’s” story are difficult to verify. But news has obtained a video that shows bloody corpses and injured people in hospital and where you can hear the sound of shooting. A video apparently showing how the security forces push a man in prayer down from a several meter high cargo container went around the world. PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called what happened a “massacre”, according to Reuters. PTI supremo Ali Amin Gandapur, who was on the same truck as Bushra Bibi, claims many hundreds of protesters were shot. The authorities have always claimed that only rubber bullets were fired, not live ammunition, and that no demonstrators were killed. In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior writes that the PTI had not received permission to protest at the government buildings, and that the demonstrators were armed and violent. According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, one policeman and three Rangers also died in connection with the clashes. Paramilitary soldiers fire at the protesters. The authorities claim they only fired rubber bullets. Photo: Irtisham Ahmed / AP But the BBC writes that they have seen documentation that people were admitted to hospital after being shot and spoke to doctors who treated gunshot wounds. The channel also spoke to local hospitals who confirmed several deaths. However, the number of dead and injured is uncertain. The authorities claim almost 1,000 people were arrested, but the PTI party says more are also missing. One thing that is certain, however, is that the demonstrations were no surprise at all. Pakistani soldiers carry the coffins of their colleagues who died in connection with the protests in Islamabad on November 26. Photo: Press Information Department (PID) / Reuters Willing to sacrifice life Since Imran Khan was jailed over a year ago, his supporters, led by Bushra Bibi, who herself was just released from prison, have demanded his release. The ex-president has been convicted of corruption and leaking state secrets, among other things. Imran Khan supporters heading towards the center of Islamabad on Tuesday 26 November. Photo: WK Yousufzai / AP His supporters, and several experts, believe he is a political prisoner. Before Tuesday’s clashes, protesters from all over the country had been heading towards Islamabad for many days. The authorities had prepared by setting up a maze of barricades and cargo containers. The riots ended after Bushra Bibi fled and the truck she was in was set on fire. Although “Mohammed” is shaken by his experience last week, he has no doubts about one thing: He will continue to give his full support to Imran Khan. And he will not hesitate to demonstrate again. Bushra Bibi’s truck was set on fire after Bibi had fled. Photo: AAMIR QURESHI / AFP “Mohammed” believes that Pakistan is heading in the wrong direction, and that the former president can get it back on the right course. He also says he supports Khan because of the former president’s opposition to the US drone war in the northwest of the country. – Regardless of whether I am the only one, I will demonstrate. Because it is my democratic and constitutional right to do it peacefully, says “Mohammed”. – Even if I die while doing it, I will die happy. Because otherwise it’s like living as a slave in your own country. Interested in abroad? Listen to the foreign editor’s podcast. Published 03.12.2024, at 18.51
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This is how the protests in Islamabad became a bloodbath – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
