Army called in as Qadri supporters march on Parliament
March 27, 2016
ISLAMABAD: The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has requisitioned Pakistan Army troops to control the situation in the Red Zone of the federal capital after Mumtaz Qadri supporters clashed with police to mark his chehlum on Sunday.
According to DG Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa, Army has been requisitioned to secure the sensitive installations in Islamabad.
2100 Hours Update Law and Order Isd:Army has been requisitioned by the Govt to control situation and secure Red Zone
— Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) March 27, 2016
Thousands of stone-throwing supporters of Qadri marched towards the Parliament building and clashed with police a month after the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri for killing former Punjab governor for alleged blasphemy.
About 25,000 supporters of the former police bodyguard gathered in Rawalpindi to offer afternoon prayers, before turning toward the heavily-barricaded federal capital, which was patrolled by hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers.
Riot police carrying batons and shields fired tear gas to try to prevent them pushing closer to the city centre, AFP reported.
Qadri was working as a bodyguard for Taseer when he shot him 29 times in 2011 over the governor’s call to reform the blasphemy law, which is allegedly frequently misused to oppress religious minorities.
