The News
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.