Mourners attend the funeral prayer for Muhammad Ali in Bahram Dheri, Charsadda district, Pakistan, Thursday, November 28, 2024. The funeral was one of several held across KP for protesters who died during demonstrations demanding the release of ex-PM Imran Khan.
Nukta
Funerals held as officials and govt hospitals deny any deaths
Former first lady led protests before retreating
Police claim protesters had weapons, Afghan infiltrators
Funerals were held on Thursday in Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for protesters reportedly killed during a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Islamabad. The government continues to deny any fatalities resulting from the crackdown on demonstrators demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Thousands of protesters had converged on the capital on November 24 in response to Khan's call for action against what he claims were rigged elections in February, allegedly orchestrated to block his political comeback.
In response, the government deployed hundreds of security personnel to prevent demonstrators from occupying D-Chowk, a key public square near the parliament and the prime minister’s residence.
On Tuesday night, a violent confrontation unfolded as police and paramilitary forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters armed with sticks and slingshots.
While PTI has claimed that hundreds of its supporters were killed in the crackdown, government officials have categorically denied these allegations, stating there were no fatalities during the operation.
Funeral prayers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In Charsadda district’s Bahram Dheri village, over 500 mourners gathered for the funeral of Muhammad Ali, who died near the Parliament House in Islamabad. Draped in a PTI flag, his body was laid to rest amidst rows of grief-stricken attendees.
In Shangla’s mountainous Nasak village, residents bid farewell to Tariq Ahmad, another demonstrator who lost his life during the protests.
A correspondent for Nukta confirmed three additional deaths of protesters, Sadar Ali from Mardan, Abdul Qadir and Mubin Malik from Abbottabad, though details of their funerals remain pending.
Shangla Tehsil Chairman Abdul Maula Khan meets with party workers and relatives during a nighttime gathering following protests in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, November 27, 2024.Nukta
These deaths contradict statements from Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday, who not only denied any casualties but claimed statements had been issued by major hospitals PIMS and Polyclinic stating no deaths occurred.
However, Nukta had earlier reported four deaths during three days of protests, with two deaths confirmed by Nukta's Islamabad editor at both hospitals.
Tarar also accused the protesters of planning to attack Parliament, claiming they possessed "modern weapons, tear gas shells, stones, and slingshots."
He also alleged that 37 Afghan citizens were arrested among the protesters, questioning their presence at a political demonstration.
The protesters, supporting Khan's PTI party, had moved through Islamabad's Srinagar Highway, removing barriers at multiple points before reaching Express Chowk near Parliament House.
Legal documents released Wednesday by PTI's legal team claimed that 159 protesters, including one woman, were arrested across seven police stations in Islamabad. They say all face 14-day remands until December 7-10 on multiple charges, including terrorism and assault on public servants.
The protests concluded when former first lady Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur retreated from the capital.
Initially reported to have returned to their province via Haripur, they were later confirmed to be in Mansehra, strategically positioned between Islamabad and Peshawar, where they are meeting party leadership to plan their next moves.
*Reporting by Kamran Ali
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