The protests, which began on May 9 last year when the former cricketer was arrested on corruption charges, may lead the country and its economy into another spell of instability, reports said.
Monday spent by the government
As per the official data, the government in Pakistan has spent PKR 2.7 billion over the past 18 months to manage the protests and sit-ins held by the PTI. Out of this, PKR 1.2 billion was spent in the last six months alone, amid intensified demonstrations in regions like Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Islamabad, Geo News reported.
The total financial tool includes PKR 1.5 billion in damages to public and private property across several cities, while the losses inflicted on Safe City cameras are valued at PKR 280 million. These were vandalised during protests in Islamabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
In addition to this, 220 police vehicles have been destroyed by the PTI protesters.
Last month, a report by the Press Trust of India highlighted how the fundamental assumptions used to finalise the $7 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have gone awry within a month of its approval. This has left Pakistani authorities concerned with an option either to renegotiate the package or further suffocate the country’s economy through more taxes.
PTI calls off protest
On Tuesday, thousands of protesters from the PTI gathered in Islamabad after a convoy, led by Bushra Bibi, the third wife of Imran Khan, broke through several lines of security and reached the city’s highly fortified red zone.
Later, the security forces carried out a massive raid in a pitch-dark city, where lights were turned off, and fired a barrage of teargas. The gathering was soon almost completely dispersed from the area, officials said.
Citing police sources, several local media outlets reported that around 450 protestors were arrested in the crackdown, while at least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers, were killed, according to Reuters.
In a statement, PTI on X announced the cancellation of the “peaceful protest for the time being because of the government’s brutality”, while targeting the Shehbaz Sharif-led administration to “turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unsuspecting citizens.”.
پریس ریلیز – پاکستان تحریک انصاف:
پاکستان تحریک انصاف کی نہتّے، پرامن اور محبّ وطن شہریوں کے سفّاکانہ قتل اور آپریشن کے نام پر اسلام آباد میں پرامن احتجاج کے شرکاء کے خلاف وحشت و بربریت کے ننگے مظاہرے کی شدید الفاظ میں مذمتچیف جسٹس آف پاکستان سے شہید کارکنان کے بہیمانہ قتل…
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 26, 2024
Further, it has appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take a suo motu notice of the heinous killing of the party workers, demanding action against the Pakistani Prime Minister, Interior Minister and the Inspectors General of Islamabad and Punjab.
Imran Khan has been granted bail or acquitted of five convictions, but he continues to be in prison on more than 100 other charges ranging from graft to terrorism.
Besides Khan’s release, the PTI is demanding the dissolution of the Sharif government after candidates loyal to Imran Khan won more seats in the general election but were allegedly blocked from forming a government.
Stocks rally
After the PTI protest came to an end, Pakistan’s capital market witnessed a robust rally on Wednesday. The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index witnessed a jump by 3,740.84 points, or 3.96%, and reached an intra-day high of 98,315.19 points.
