Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja has claimed that at least 20 people were "martyred" during the party's 'do-or-die' demonstration held in Islamabad yesterday.
The PTI leader's statement comes hours after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi rubbished the PTI's claims about casualties among its supporters during the security forces' crackdown in the federal capital. Naqvi, while talking to the media earlier today, termed social media reports claiming that 33 bodies were brought to a hospital as “propaganda” and challenged the former ruling party to provide the names of the deceased.
"At least 20 supporters of the PTI were killed in yesterday's protest in Islamabad. We have complete bio-data and videos of eight of them," the PTI leader said in a video statement released on social media on Wednesday.
"And, details about the remaining others will be released to the media."
Raja alleged that the former ruling party was being denied access to its workers receiving medical treatment at hospitals in Islamabad.
He further accused that hospitals in the federal capital were being instructed to destroy relevant records, with directives ordering them not to provide families with the records of their deceased or injured relatives.
The PTI's secretary-general announced that the Imran Khan-led party would take legal action, saying, "We will approach the courts against the government, the ministry of interior, and the interior minister."
Following a midnight crackdown on the PTI's demonstrators, law enforcers effectively dispersed the PTI workers. After the action by the law enforcers, the protesters dispersed and Bushra Bibi and KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur fled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Later, the PTI issued a press release from its central media cell in the early hours of Wednesday, announcing a "temporary suspension" of its "do-or-die" protest.
The Imran Khan-led party's protest was staged against the "illegal" incarceration of the PTI founder, other party leaders and workers, the "stolen mandate" in the February 8 general elections and the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
While Salman Akram Raja's claim regarding the killing of party workers could not be verified so far, Islamabad IG Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said that at least five security personnel, including three jawans of Rangers and two policemen, were martyred during the protest.
Addressing a press conference earlier today, “12 to 13 vehicles of police were set on fire [during PTI’s protest]."
In addition to this, the police chief said "miscreants" damaged 161 CCTV cameras of Safe City so that their activities could not be recorded.
“37 Afghan nationals among 954 people were arrested during the past three days. A Kalashnikov among 39 weapons was seized.”
71 personnel of law enforcers were injured, he said, adding that out of them, 27 received bullet injuries.
A spokesperson for the Polyclinic Hospital said that two dead bodies and 26 injured were brought to the hospital.
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