Pakistani Authorities Accused of Trying to Cover Up Killings of Protesters

The Guardian reported Wednesday that at least 17 civilians in Pakistan were killed and hundreds more were wounded by army and paramilitary gunfire at protesters and one doctor in Islamabad claimed that authorities were attempting to cover up deaths.

"At least seven have died and four are in critical condition in the hospital," according to the unnamed doctor, who said that on Tuesday night he treated over 40 patients, many injured by gunfire. "Eight more have been admitted to the hospital with bullet wounds."

"All records of dead and injured have been confiscated by authorities," added the emergency doctor, who requested anonymity for his safety. "We are not allowed to talk. Senior government officials are visiting the hospital to hide the records."

The newspaper noted that its reporter "witnessed at least five patients with bullet wounds in one hospital, which was surrounded by police."

"Yet again, protestors in Pakistan have faced a brutal and lethal crackdown shrouded in a callous opacity by the authorities."

Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have converged on Islamabad this week. Troops were supposedly given "shoot-on-site" orders as the protesters closed in on D-Chowk, a popular square in the capital near multiple government buildings, calling for fair elections and the release of Khan, who says the charges against him are politically motivated.

"Islamabad's police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied that live ammunition had been used during the operation, which he said police had conducted alongside paramilitary forces," Reuters reported. "Rizvi said 600 protesters had been arrested in Tuesday's operation, bringing the total since the protest sit-in began on Sunday to 954."

The office of Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement that "as of now, no death has been reported, and the claims circulating regarding any such incidents are baseless and unverified."

According to Reuters:

Visiting protest sites on Wednesday, Naqvi said law enforcement agencies had successfully cleared protesters from the site of the sit-in and other areas of the capital.

He called on PTI to provide any evidence of the firing of live ammunition by security forces, and said it had not provided any details of deaths of its supporters.

PTI said on social media Tuesday that "a massacre has unfolded in Pakistan at the hands of security forces under the brutal, fascist military regime led by the Shehbaz-Zardari-Asim alliance. The nation is drowning in blood. Today, armed security forces launched a violent assault on peaceful PTI protesters in Islamabad, firing live rounds with the intent to kill as many people as possible."

On Wednesday, PTI highlighted The Guardian's reporting—calling it "alarming"—and shared an image of protesters that the party said are "confirmed dead as a result of direct firing by security forces."

Multiple U.S. lawmakers have condemned the crackdown on PTI protesters in Pakistan. Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has spoken out multiple times this week, took note of The Guardian's reporting on Wednesday.

"Horrified by reports of an attempted cover-up of the alleged killings of peaceful protesters by Asim Munir's regime in Pakistan," Khanna said, referring to Pakistan's chief of the army staff. "The U.S. must impose visa bans and asset freezes on senior officials in the military regime."

Drop Site News journalist Murtaza Hussain explained that "visa bans and asset freezes on Pakistani officials would be [a] nuclear event," because "everyone knows their assets are all in Western countries where they also spend all their free time."

Amnesty International, which on Tuesday demanded that the government rescind the shoot-on-site orders and "exercise maximum restraint" in response to protests, issued a Wednesday statement calling for an urgent and transparent investigation.

"Yet again, protestors in Pakistan have faced a brutal and lethal crackdown shrouded in a callous opacity by the authorities," said Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty's deputy regional director for South Asia. "The escalation of violence, shutdown of mobile internet services, mass detentions, and alarming rhetoric against PTI protesters by the authorities speaks of a pattern of intolerance for the right to freedom of peaceful assembly throughout the country. Similar clampdowns against Baloch and Pashtun protesters were witnessed earlier this year."

"Disturbing reports and testimonies regarding the unlawful use of force including lethal ammunition against protesters, during a government-enforced communication blackout, are emerging from yesterday," the campaigner noted. "Continued restrictions on reporting by media and independent observers have made it difficult to verify the number of casualties and raise urgent questions about accountability for human rights abuses."

"Amnesty International calls for a prompt, thorough, impartial, effective, and transparent investigation into the deaths and injuries of protesters as well as the unlawful use of force including lethal and less-lethal weapons by security personnel," he added. "Authorities must also immediately release all protesters detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly."