Government shuts down mobile communication in capital for four days and blocks freedom of movement

Four thousand opposition party supporters detained, and tear gas and shoot-on-sight orders issued against protesters - reports

‘Yet again protesters in Pakistan have faced a brutal and lethal crackdown’ - Babu Ram Pant

Responding to reports of multiple deaths and the mass detention of protesters from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Islamabad yesterday and earlier today following calls for the release of its leader and former prime minister, Imran Khan, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s South Asia Deputy Director, said:

“Yet again protesters in Pakistan have faced a brutal and lethal crackdown.

“The escalation of violence, shutdown of mobile internet services, mass detentions and alarming rhetoric against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf protesters by the authorities speaks of a pattern of intolerance for the right to freedom of peaceful assembly throughout the country.

“Disturbing reports and testimonies regarding the unlawful use of force during a Government-enforced communication blackout are emerging.

“Continued restrictions on reporting by media and independent observers have made it difficult to verify the number of casualties and raise urgent questions about accountability for human rights abuses.

“Amnesty calls for a prompt, thorough, impartial, effective and transparent investigation into the deaths and injuries of protesters, as well as the unlawful use of force including lethal and less-lethal weapons by security personnel.

“The authorities must also immediately release all protesters detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”

Protesters targeted

Since yesterday, multiple clashes between protesters and law-enforcement agencies have taken place after military forces were called into the capital invoking provisions relating to “external aggression or threat of war” in the Pakistan constitution. Reports suggest the unlawful use of tear gas and shoot-on-sight orders against the protesters. The exact number of deaths and injuries is unknown due to the Government’s clampdown on information. However, this morning the BBC reported the deaths of at least six people, including four security officers. Following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s call on 24 November for protests in Islamabad, the Government disrupted internet services across the city and shut down mobile internet connections for four days. All major roads and routes leading to the capital were barricaded to hinder protesters’ movement, with 4,000 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters reportedly detained before the nationwide protests, with some 610 people arrested yesterday.