ISLAMABAD (AP) – Wielding batons and firing rounds of tear gas, Pakistani riot police on Friday clashed with stone-throwing supporters of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan who rallied in the capital in defiance of a government-imposed ban on demonstrations.
The clashes erupted as supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf opposition party tried to make their way toward his residence in Islamabad for a rally he had called for the previous evening.
The violence prompted Khan to announce he will go ahead will a planned “million men” march on Wednesday in Islamabad to force the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign.
Khan said he was not afraid of arrest.
“Even if you send me to jail, I will come back to lead rallies against you,” he said, addressing Sharif. According to Khan, police were not allowing him to leave his residence.