Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has claimed that at least 11 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police personnel were arrested during PTI clashes in Islamabad on Saturday.

“We have recovered masks, tear gas shells, and rubber bullets from them [KP police personnel],” he told reporters in the federal capital.

Supporters of PTI have been on the streets to reach D-Chowk for a “peaceful protest.” Many of them managed to reach the protest venue on Saturday after the impact of police tear gas was dampened due to rain.

The federal capital administration has suspended mobile networks and internet services in the twin cities while the police have blocked all entry and points to the cities.

In recent weeks, the PTI has organised numerous rallies nationwide to protest the “unlawful” detention of its founder, the delays by the Election Commission of Pakistan in executing the verdict on reserved seats, and to advocate for the “preservation” of the Constitution.

Prior to its rallies in Islamabad and Lahore earlier this month, the government imposed a series of stringent regulations. Imran Khan’s party did not fully adhere to these guidelines, leading to confrontations between its supporters and law enforcement agencies.

“An assault was waged which was being led by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister himself and it is before you the way they (protesters) inflicted violence on the police, I don’t need to tell you,” Naqvi said.

While sharing the details, he said the police had evidence of live firing and a total of 564 individuals were arrested, including 120 Afghans and 11 KP police personnel.

Naqvi claimed that the area around Centaurus was clear and assured that it would be secured by nightfall. He extended apologies to the citizens of Islamabad, who have endured hardship over the past two days due to ongoing protests.

He claimed that 31 Islamabad police officers and 75 Punjab police personnel were injured during the clashes, stating: “There were attempts to cause casualties.” He noted that the protesters aimed to reach D-Chowk to stage a sit-in, with plans to disrupt the upcoming SCO conference by maintaining their presence until the 17.

He vowed that “strict action” would be taken against everyone involved, from those giving orders to the protesters themselves, emphasising that it cannot be tolerated for protesters to repeatedly storm Islamabad. Naqvi also mentioned that similar strict actions would be taken against the KP CM who was leading the protests.

Punjab IGP Usman Anwar claimed that police were shot at directly and tear gas shells were used during the confrontations.

According to sources, six active-duty police officers from KP, dressed in civilian clothes, have been arrested in D-Chowk, Islamabad, for their alleged involvement in attacks against law enforcement agencies alongside protesters.

They were reportedly armed with tear gas, slingshots, and stones while engaging in assaults against law enforcement personnel.

Five more active-duty police officers from KP—two from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and three from the provincial police—were apprehended by law enforcement agencies near Attock while attempting to flee in police vehicles dressed in civilian attire.

A substantial quantity of tear gas shells, batons, and stones was also recovered from these five officers.