28.05.2022, Moscow.
Despite the wave of arrests, people came to the Freedom March gathering places in major cities of the country.
The police were waiting for them there and blocked these areas, after which they tried to disperse the protesters. Tear gas, police batons and rubber bullets were used.
In Karachi and other cities, Imran Khan’s supporters were not intimidated, and clashes with the police ensued. When they subsided, the blocked protesters went on sit-ins.
However, some people were able to march toward the capital.
In the middle of the day, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced the preliminary results of the raids against the Pakistan Movement for Justice activists.
“About 4,414 raids were conducted and about 1,700 people were arrested,” Sanaullah noted.
According to him, 240 people were released home after signing affidavits, but some were arrested.
In parallel, the Supreme Court declared that the arrests of the Pakistan Movement for Justice activists were illegal and ordered their release. In addition, the judges ordered that the freedom of movement of citizens should not be restricted and ordered the removal of barricades from the roads.
The court instructed the authorities to negotiate with Imran Khan for an alternative location for the rally in Islamabad, offering locations in residential areas away from the city center.
In the capital itself, by evening, police had made several unsuccessful attempts to disperse protesters who were able to pass into the Red Zone. Against this background, the government called on the army to enter the city and secure the administrative buildings.
As a result, they occupied the outskirts of D-Chowk Square and waited all night for a caravan of vehicles from the regions of the country to arrive.
After reaching Jinnah Avenue by morning on May 27, Imran Khan addressed his supporters.
“My message to the imported government is to dissolve the assemblies and announce elections, otherwise I will be back in Islamabad in six days,” Imran Khan stressed.
According to him, the government has tried all methods to suppress the protest march. However, the convoy he led still managed to reach Islamabad after a 30-hour journey from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“They used tear gas against peaceful protests, our homes were searched, our privacy was violated. However, I saw a nation freed from the fear of slavery,” Imran Khan said.
He added that three Pakistan Movement for Justice activists were killed during the protests in Karachi, two others were thrown off the Ravi Bridge and thousands more were arrested across the country.
After an ultimatum was issued to the government, the preliminary decision to protest indefinitely was rescinded, and people began fleeing the center of the capital.
In the end, the Pakistani government was never able to disrupt the protest march, and their opponents were able to make their way to the center of the capital. In the end, the failed crackdown is likely to strengthen popular support for Imran Khan. And in the face of such pressure from the current Pakistani authorities, it is not so important that the promised millions of supporters of the overthrown prime minister did not reach the capital.
Translated from https://t.me/shotday/305
