Pro-Imran Khan protests in Pakistan take deadly turn; 5 killed, dozens injured, ‘shoot on sight’ ordered | Top updates

As the protest by supporters of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party turn deadly, Pakistan’s army has been ordered to “shoot on sight”.

According to reports, four soldiers and at least one protester has been killed in the protests so far.

Four paratroopers had been “martyred” and that the army, under Article 245, had been deployed and authorized to “shoot on sight”, the report said.

The violence erupted when protesters demanding the release of jailed Imran Khan entered Pakistan's capital Islamabad late on Monday, defying efforts by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to stifle the nationwide demonstrations.

Here are the latest updates into the deadly protests:

• Pakistan security forces fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets on Tuesday at thousands of protesters after they defied a police lockdown to march inside Islamabad.
• Protesters armed with sticks and slingshots took on police in western Islamabad, less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from the government enclave they aim to occupy.

• Islamabad has been locked down since late Saturday, with mobile internet sporadically cut and more than 20,000 police flooding the streets, many armed with riot shields and batons.
• Last week, the Islamabad city administration announced a two-month ban on public gatherings.
• The government cited “security concerns” for the mobile internet outages, while Islamabad's schools and universities were also ordered to shut on Monday and Tuesday.
• “Those who will come here will be arrested,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters late on Monday at D-Chowk, the public square outside Islamabad's government buildings that PTI aims to occupy.

• The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said, “blocking access to the capital, with motorway and highway closures across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has effectively penalized ordinary citizens”.
• The US State Department appealed for protestors to refrain from violence, while also urging authorities to “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to ensure respect for Pakistan's laws and constitution as they work to maintain law and order”.
• The largest convoy, led by the former prime minister’s allies from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had removed roadblocks along the highway to Islamabad after authorities tried to disperse them with tear gas, according to Pakistani government officials.

• Authorities earlier said hundreds of Khan’s followers in multiple cities had been arrested in the protests and skirmishes. Those injuries included gunshot wounds, according to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
• The marches began Sunday at Khan’s encouragement. He remains in custody despite courts granting him bail or suspending sentences in some of the cases against him.
• Imran Khan, a former cricket star, has been in jail for more than a year. He faces more than 150 cases related to his time as premier, from corruption to inciting violence and misuse of power.