Supporters of Pakistan's Imran Khan call off protest, local media says

ISLAMABAD: The party of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan suspended street protests seeking his release, it said on Wednesday, following media reports of hundreds of arrests by security forces in a sweeping midnight raid in the capital.

The sit-in had been called off, Zulfikar Bukhari, a spokesman for Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), confirmed, citing what he called "the massacre".

He was referring to Tuesday night's raid in Islamabad after the protests resulted in the deaths of at least six people, among them four paramilitary soldiers and two protesters.

Visiting protest sites on Wednesday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan's law enforcement agencies had successfully cleared protesters from the spot targeted for the sit-in and other areas of the capital.

"I congratulate the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, Islamabad, Punjab, and Sindh police for their courageous role," Naqvi added.

Thousands of protesters had gathered in the centre of Islamabad the previous day, after a convoy led by Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, broke through several lines of security to reach the edge of the city's highly fortified red zone.

Geo News and broadcaster ARY both said security forces launched a massive raid in pitch-dark central Islamabad, where lights had been turned off and a barrage of tear gas was fired.

The protesters were almost completely dispersed, they added.

On Wednesday, city workers were clearing debris and moving away some of the shipping containers authorities had used to block roads around the capital.

The red zone was empty of protesters but several of their vehicles were left behind, including the remains of a truck used by Bushra Bibi that appeared charred by flames, Reuters witnesses said.

The PTI had planned on staging a sit-in in the red zone, home to parliament, the diplomatic enclave and other key buildings, until the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August last year.

The party had called off the protest, its president for the city of Peshawar in the northern stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said.

"We will chalk out the new strategy later after proper consultation," Mohammad Asim told Reuters.

Khan's wife and the province's Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a key ally of the jailed leader, had returned "safely" to the province from the capital, he added.

Pakistan's benchmark share index .KSE jumped more than 4% in intraday trade on Wednesday, recovering Tuesday's losses when it closed down 3.6% on the news of political clashes.

"With valuations remaining highly attractive, we expect the positive momentum to continue going forward," said Tahir Abbas, head of research at Arif Habib Limited.

The sharp market rebound was fuelled by hopes of political stability restoring investor confidence, he added.