A policeman was martyred during clashes with protesters after an operation to clear Faizabad interchange commenced early Saturday morning.
Police said the deceased suffered a deadly blow to the head in I-8/4 sector as protesters pelted stones at security officials during the operation.
Heavy contingents of police, FC and Rangers were deployed to the interchange, where they are using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters after the capital was paralysed due to the sit-in which has been ongoing for almost three weeks. According to reports, dozens of protesters have been detained.
The operation was commenced on court orders following the expiry of the midnight deadline set by the district administration.
Prison vans, ambulances are at the site, while helicopters and drones are being used by the authorities for aerial surveillance. Around 8,000 security officials are taking part in the operation, including 3,000 FC personnel.
At least 170 people including 30 policemen and 14 FC personnel have been injured in the operation so far.
According to district administration sources, the Faizabad interchange is now in control of authorities as the operation continues in the area. Security officials are conducting operation against the protesters from five directions: Khanna Pul, GT Road, Islamabad Club Road, Express Highway and Murree Road.
Protesters have blocked Bhara Kahu leading to Murree, Rawalpindi Expressway and the Motorway. They have also set fire to ten police vehicles in the area.
Schools situated at Murree Road have been evacuated because of the tear gas shelling in the area.
Meanwhile, power and internet services in and around Faizabad have been suspended.
Minutes prior to starting the operation, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) removed the barbed wire fences surrounding the sit-in area, where protesters belonging to a religious party had been demonstrating for 20 days.
Commenting on the developments prior to the operation, Asmatullah Junejo — the assistant inspector-general (AIG) for police who is currently at the scene — had said the authorities "will conduct an operation against the protestors [in the sit-in] today."
Security officials and LEAs had evacuated Faizabad ahead of the operation, Junejo added.
Markets and bus stops in Faizabad and its surrounding areas are completely empty, while police have banned entry for all unrelated persons.
They added that a drone has also been spotted in the vicinity.
"We will clear the [Faizabad] area today in line with the court's orders," Junejo said, adding that they "will try our best to make sure there is no fatality".
PEMRA orders to take news channels off air
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has ordered to take all news channels off air.
Following the directives, news channels were reported to be off air in parts of the country.
Earlier, PEMRA had barred media from live coverage of Islamabad operation under Media Code of Conduct 2015.
The regulatory body has instructed media houses to ensure the security of their staff while the situation persists.
Meanwhile, social sharing websites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been blocked on web browsers across the country. They can only be accessed via mobile apps as of now.
Besides Islamabad, protesters and law enforcement officials are facing off in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sambrial in Sialkot district. In Karachi, the protesters have blocked the roads leading to the Numaish Chowrangi, where they are staging their sit-in. According to latest updates, a large contingent of police along with water cannons has arrived on site.
In Sambrial, protesters set tires alight on the Sialkot-Wazirabad road.
Extension request
As the midnight deadline given by the district administration expired, the protesters belonging to a religious party remained camped at the Faizabad Interchange overnight, continuing their stranglehold over the vital transport junction.
According to sources, Pir Nizamuddin Jami had contacted a government official and requested an extension of the deadline and expressed hope that the issue could be resolved through mutual understanding.
Meanwhile, the interior ministry disclosed that four CCTV cameras that were monitoring the demonstration had their wires cut. The interior minister has taken notice and asked for a report on the matter.
Final warning
Late Friday night, the district administration of the federal capital had issued a final warning to protesters of a religious party, camped at Faizabad Interchange, and had told them to disperse by midnight, threatening to take action of the order was not followed.
The warning was issued in a notification issued by the district magistrate.
The order by the district administration came after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ordered to shift the protesters to the Parade Ground within a span of three days.
The district administration had stated that the protesters have been camping at the critical junction illegally and the protesters have been issued a three-day warning previously too, hence, the protesters should vacate Faizabad Interchange by midnight Friday.
If an operation is conducted to clear the interchange, then the responsibility will fall on the leadership and the participants of the protest, the administration added.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said that when the writ of the state ends, decisions are made on the streets.
State on one page
The bench — comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mushir Alam — also expressed its displeasure at the unrelenting situation and noted that the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were facing serious problems as a result of the sit-in.
The apex court bench added that the sit-in is all about the ego of one man and his quest for fame.
Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal also stated that the state is on one page regarding sit-in and the government is still trying to resolve the issue through peaceful means.
Demonstrators resort to pelting
The Army said earlier this week that it would act upon whatever decision the government makes on the ongoing sit-in in Islamabad.
General Ghafoor, however, said it is better to diffuse the situation through mutual understanding, adding that whatever decision the government makes in this regard would be acted upon.
Also on Wednesday, at least four security personnel were injured when the protesters resorted to pelting stones at security forces deployed in the area.
Four FC and police personnel, including SP Saddar Amir Niazi, were injured as a result.
Difficulties for residents
The protest has resulted in severe issues for residents of the capital and Rawalpindi, who face traffic jams and mobility issues on a daily basis. At least two casualties due to ambulances being unable to cross the protesters have also been reported.
Talks between the government and protesters last Saturday and then on Monday had failed with no breakthrough in sight, as protest leaders continued to demand the resignation of Federal Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid.
The protests were being held against the change in the finality of Prophethood oath in the law when the government passed the Elections Act 2017 last month. The change, dubbed a clerical error by the government, was immediately fixed as an amendment was passed later.
