Pakistan: Imran Khan vows not to vacate protest site in Islamabad until fresh polls announced

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and PTI chief Imran Khan on Wednesday warned his supporters would not vacate D-Chowk in Islamabad until a date for fresh polls was announced by the Shehbaz Sharif government, a move that will lead to a rise in political tensions in the country.

Tension gripped the country as clashes took place between police and PTI workers after authorities tried to block them from moving toward the federal capital.

Imran Khan, who was ousted from power by a no-trust vote, has asked "all Pakistanis" to take to the streets in their respective cities and appealed to women and children to come out of their homes for "real independence", the Dawn newspaper reported.

Analysts say that Imran Khan seems to be using the same tactics of "dharna" as he employed in 2013 before coming to power in Islamabad.

In past, PTI had rejected the results of the 2013 elections and sat on dharna for around 126 days in 2014 without any result, according to the Pakistan vernacular media.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed deep concern at the highhandedness of law enforcement agencies in disrupting the PTI's march to Islamabad.

"We believe that all citizens and all political parties have every right to assemble and protest peacefully," the HRCP tweeted.

"The state's overreaction has triggered, more than it has prevented, violence on the streets. The onus is on the government and opposition leaders to adopt a mature, democratic response and immediately begin a dialogue to end the impasse," the group added.

Pakistan media reports say that Pakistan seems to be heading towards political confrontation following the Shehbaz Sharif government's decision to ban the PTI march. According to Dawn, crackdowns on the opposition leaders and the sealing of the capital have created a highly volatile situation.

Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday restrained the present government from arresting Imran Khan and allowed PTI to hold a sit-in protest at the H-9 ground area of Islamabad.

The court order came after PTI assured to hold a peaceful protest and that there would not be any damage to public and private properties.

( With inputs from ANI )

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