At least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers, were killed in violent clashes in Pakistan's Islamabad between supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan and security forces, Reuters reported.
Khan's supporters were staging protests to demand the release of the former PM from jail.
Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed the protesters for the death of the soldiers, accusing them of ramming vehicles into the security forces.
"It is not a peaceful protest. It is extremism," Sharif said in a statement, adding that the protests were aimed at achieving "evil political designs".
Such violence at the protests was pushing the law enforcement agencies to the "limits of restraint", the Pakistani PM added.
A spokesperson for Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), Zulfikar Bukhari, said that two protesters were also killed in the clashes while 30 others were injured.
Bukhari reportedly said that one of the protesters was shot dead and the other was run over by a vehicle. However, HT couldn't independently verify this information.
In Photos | Islamabad under siege as Imran Khan supporters demand his release
Amnesty International, a human rights NGO, said that Sharif's government must fully protect the rights of protesters and immediately take back the "shoot on sight" orders that it issued amid the rising tensions in the capital city.
{{/usCountry}}Amnesty International, a human rights NGO, said that Sharif's government must fully protect the rights of protesters and immediately take back the "shoot on sight" orders that it issued amid the rising tensions in the capital city.
{{/usCountry}}The NGO said that the shoot-on-sight orders gave undue and excessive authority to Pakistan's military.
Imran Khan's message from jail
PTI chief and former PM Imran Khan sent out a message from prison on microblogging site X.
He saluted the protesters and PTI workers who "stood up for their rights, engaged in peaceful protests and stood firm for their demands and true freedom in the face of the mafia imposed on the country".
Khan asked his team to "fight till the end", adding that they will not back down until their demands are met.
He also claimed that security forces fired and shelled PTI workers "on the instructions of Mohsin Naqvi".
In a message to those threatening a trial in military court, Khan said, "Do what you have to do, I will not back down from my position."
"All protesting Pakistanis stay peaceful, united and stand firm until our demands are met - this is the struggle for Pakistan's survival and true freedom!!" he added.
Notably, the violence at the protests broke out at the end of a rally led by the former prime minister's wife Bushra Bibi and his key aide Ali Amin Gandapur.
Khan, who was ousted from power 2022 after a fallout with Pakistan's military, is charged with several offences including those of corruption, violence instigation, and more. All of these charges have been denied by him and his party.
Khan's PTI also rejected the accusation levelled against the protesters by PM Sharif, saying that security troops were not rammed. It noted that party supporters would hold a sit-in protest outside the parliament until their demands were met.
Pakistan's interior ministry said that army had been deployed in the fortified red zone, which houses several government buildings and embassies, to protect the diplomatic missions. A curfew has also been imposed in Islamabad.
(with inputs from Reuters)