ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
In Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, security forces are clashing with tens of thousands of protesters. At least six people have been killed. The protesters are demanding the release of the former prime minister, Imran Khan. NPR's Diaa Hadid is on the line. She used to live in Pakistan and now covers the country from her base in Mumbai. Good morning, Diaa.
DIAA HADID, BYLINE: Good morning, Rob.
SCHMITZ: So what can you tell us about the latest on these protests?
HADID: Well, just in the past hour or so, tens of thousands of protesters have reached the center of Islamabad, many after days of marching. They're on grounds facing the Parliament, and they say they plan to stay there until their demands are met. And there's a video shared by Khan's media team, and you can see and hear protesters marching towards that area. And they're chanting, free Imran Khan.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting in non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in non-English language).
HADID: Now, that video was shared in a Google Drive because authorities have banned Twitter since February, and the internet was dramatically slowed in advance of these protests.
SCHMITZ: Wow, so they've banned Twitter. And so I'm also curious about the violence. What can you tell us about what's happening there?
HADID: Well, each side is blaming the other. Right now, journalists are saying that Khan supporters are attacking them, but protesters say forces used a helicopter gunship to fire at them. And according to the Associated Press, at least one civilian and four security officers were killed after a vehicle rammed into them. But, Rob...
SCHMITZ: Jeez.
HADID: ...It seems that other security forces actually don't want to fight. People are sharing videos of protesters mingling with soldiers who are standing on top of shipping containers that have been used to barricade the city's center. They're hugging each other and taking selfies. And that tells you about the tenacity of Khan's supporters and his popularity, even among security forces. And it shows the challenges before this government and Pakistan's powerful military in trying to suppress the former prime minister and his party.
SCHMITZ: All this is really interesting. So let's talk about the former prime minister. You point out that Imran Khan is popular, at least to some Pakistanis. So why was he detained in the first place?
HADID: Well, he was detained after he fell out with the army while he was prime minister. It led to his party losing power in Parliament. But Khan commands enormous support, and so when he was detained last May by security forces, his supporters overran military bases, demanding his release. That was unprecedented in Pakistan's history. Now, since he was detained, dozens of cases were filed against him, but his supporters say he's been acquitted of the most serious charges. And that leads us back to this moment. A Khan spokesman tells me the protests are because there's no further reason to keep him detained.
SCHMITZ: So, Diaa, how does this end?
HADID: Well, so far each side seems to be hardening. The prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, has condemned Khan supporters as extremists. Analysts say he's reflecting the will of Pakistan's powerful military. But now that protesters have reached the city's center, one columnist, Arifa Noor (ph), she tells me a compromise has to be found.
ARIFA NOOR: I don't think that this instability will come to an end until all the players sit down and realize that they need to work together and focus on taking the difficult decisions that need to be taken.
HADID: The last thing is there's a wild card here, Rob. Khan's loyalists tend to be supporters of the president-elect, Donald Trump. It's a quirk of the relationship that Khan and Trump enjoyed during his first administration. And there's hope that once Trump comes to power, he'll pressure Pakistani authorities to release him. Already, Richard Grenell, Trump's former intelligence chief, posted on X, release Imran Khan.
SCHMITZ: That is NPR's Diaa Hadid. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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