At Least 50 Injured as Police Clash with Protesters in Islamabad
At least 50 people were injured in clashes between police and opposition protesters in Pakistan's capital Islamabad Saturday, officials said, with the toll expected to rise as fighting continues.
"We have received more than 50 injured, most of them have rubber bullet injuries. Seventeen among them are women," said Wasim Khawaja, a spokesman for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital.
A second doctor said seven police officials were among were the wounded.
The clashes broke out when protesters who have been camped outside parliament for two weeks tried to storm the prime minister's house, using cranes to remove barricades.
Police have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, while paramilitary rangers and soldiers remain on standby.
The protesters are led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and Canadian cleric Tahir ul Qadri, who both claim that the 2013 elections which saw Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sweep to power were massively rigged.
Local and and foreign observers said the polls were credible, and analysts believe the protests have been coordinated by the powerful army as a means of re-asserting its dominance over civilian authorities.
Source: Agence France Presse
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