Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has stationed military units in Islamabad to maintain security in the capital, according to Geo TV.
Authorities have granted the army broad authority to act decisively against agitators and violators, including permission to take “extreme measures, such as shooting rioters on sight.” Soldiers have also been authorized to impose curfews in any part of the city if necessary to preserve law and order.
The deployment comes amid a nationwide protest launched on November 24 by the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The protests aim to pressure the federal government to meet their demands, which include repealing constitutional amendments passed in October, revisiting the results of February’s parliamentary elections, and releasing political prisoners, including PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to the PTI press office, demonstrators have already arrived in Islamabad and are approximately 7 kilometers from D-Chowk, a central square near key government, judicial, and legislative buildings.
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Photo: Expert Infantry/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS