Islamabad: Clashes broke out on Saturday between security personnel and protesters belonging to hardline religious groups in the Pakistani capital Islamabad and the commercial capital Karachi following a government crackdown, leaving one person dead and over 150 others injured and triggering violence in other cities. The government blacked out all TV channels and blocked popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to stem the spiralling violence.
The police and paramilitary personnel tried to disperse the protesters who have been blocking main highways leading to the capital Islamabad for more than two weeks to press for the resignation of law minister Zahid Hamid. The protesters are objecting to changes made in the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat or finality of prophethood oath in the Elections Act 2017 passed in September, alleging the action undermined Islamic beliefs and linked it to blasphemy. The operation was launched after Islamabad High Court on Friday issued contempt of court notice against Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal for failing to implement orders to clear the roads. The protesters attacked the house of former interior minister Nisar Ali Khan in Faizabad area of Rawalpindi.PTI