6 killed as Pakistani protesters clash with police for second day
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 26, 2017 09:38AM
Clashes have erupted between police and protesters for a second day on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, with media reports saying at least six people have been killed.
Pakistani activists and religious advocates have blocked the main route into the capital for two weeks. On Saturday, police moved in to remove them.
Clashes erupted then, with the protesters burning vehicles and pelting stones at security forces.
Since November 6, as many as 2,000 protesters from the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan Party have camped out at the main intersection outside Islamabad and blocked the main highway used by thousands of commuters, causing hours-long traffic snarls.
The group is demanding the dismissal and apprehension of federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid over an amendment to the oath election candidates must take. The demonstrators say the amendment amounts to blasphemy.
The government has put the issue down to an error.
A Pakistani court had granted the government three days to find a way to clear the sit-in protest by the religious party. That deadline terminated on November 23.
Police were forced to fire teargas canisters to disperse the stick-wielding crowd.
During the Saturday protest, at least six people lost their lives and around 230 sustained injuries. It was not clear if police used live ammunition.
Hospitals sources announced that most of the wounded had been discharged, with only around 20 still needing treatment.
The violent clashes also triggered similar protests in major cities and towns across Pakistan.
Some 200 protesters blockaded a major road in the southern port city of Karachi and clashed with police on Saturday, leaving at least 27 people injured, including 22 people with gunshot wounds.
In Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province and the country's second largest city, police had closed off a main road because of similar protests.
The violence comes at a time when Islamabad is trying to tackle growing militancy, political instability, and extremism.
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