At least six people were killed in violent clashes between Pakistani authorities and supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan who stormed the capital Tuesday. The country has been on a days-long lockdown amid intensifying protests demanding Khan’s release, with officials imposing internet blackouts, closing schools, and reportedly giving police shoot-on-sight orders.
“In Pakistan, protests usually set the stage for a weakening of a government rather than prove to be the final blow,” a columnist wrote for Dawn. The lockdown alone hurts the government, because it “puts paid to its claims of a healthy economy with interest from investors abroad.” But in this case, she argued, Khan’s supporters may simply try to use the protests as a bargaining chip for his release.