Pakistani police have filed multiple charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and others for allegedly inciting violence, following a wave of protests and clashes that resulted in at least six deaths and numerous injuries, officials reported on Thursday. Bushra Bibi, leading thousands of supporters from the northwestern region of Pakistan, marched to Islamabad to demand the release of her husband, who has been incarcerated since August 2023. Khan, who faces over 150 charges, is said to be the target of politically motivated cases, according to his supporters. Bibi, a spiritual leader, fled when police launched a raid on Tuesday night to disperse the demonstrators. At the time, she was out on bail in a corruption case. The authorities have arrested nearly 1,000 protesters since Sunday in Islamabad and surrounding areas. Six people, including four security personnel, were killed when a vehicle struck them, with Islamabad police blaming Khan's supporters for the incident. Authorities have filed charges against Khan, Bibi, and others in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi under anti-terrorism laws, accusing them of inciting attacks on security forces and disturbing the peace. While Khan faces a lengthy list of charges, his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), remains committed to pushing for his release. On Thursday, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told international media that Khan’s supporters were attempting to seize control of the capital and that some were armed. They said weapons were seized during the midnight raid. Read: Pakistan ends lockdown after dispersing Imran Khan supporters Iqbal emphasized that security forces had used tear gas and batons to control the crowds and dismissed PTI’s claims that Khan’s supporters had been killed by live police fire, asserting that the protesters had used guns. This protest came on the heels of a deadly attack in Kurram district earlier in the month, where 42 Shiites were killed in gunfire, sparking retaliatory violence that also claimed many lives. In new developments on Thursday, local police reported that eight people were killed in further sectarian violence in Kurram, according to police official Salim Shah. Separately, Islamabad police filed terrorism charges against journalist Matiullah Jan, who was allegedly abducted by unknown men after his family reported him missing. Police claim Jan was arrested after refusing to stop at a checkpoint and for allegedly snatching a weapon from an officer while intoxicated, a charge Jan denied. Read more: Imran Khan supporters breach lockdown in Pakistani capital, at least 6 people killed in violence These events add to the ongoing political turmoil that has followed Khan’s removal from office in 2022. On Tuesday, political tensions caused Pakistan’s stock market to lose over $1.7 billion, but by Thursday, it had recovered, surpassing 100,000 points for the first time, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif citing the rebound as evidence of an improving economy. Sources: With inputs from agencies 

Pakistani police have fired tear gas and scuffled with stone-throwing supporters of defiant former Prime Minister Imran Khan as they gathered for planned marches Wednesday toward central Islamabad for a rally he hopes will bring down the government and force early elections. The marches have raised fears of major violence between supporters of Khan — now Pakistan’s top opposition leader — and security forces. The government of Khan’s successor, Shahbaz Sharif, has banned the rally and warned Khan he could face arrest if he went ahead with the demonstrations. Earlier in the morning, riot police fired tear gas and pushed back hundreds of demonstrators who hurled stones as they tried to pass a roadblocked bridge near the city of Lahore to board busses bound for the capital, Islamabad. A dozen demonstrators and several policemen were injured. Altercations between the police and Khan’s supporters were also reported elsewhere. Ahead of Wednesday’s marches, authorities used dozens of shipping containers and trucks to block off major roads into Islamabad. Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician served as prime minister for over three and half years until last month, when he was ousted by a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Since then, he has held rallies with thousands of people across the country. Khan says his removal from office was the result of a U.S.-organized plot and collusion with Sharif, whose government has vowed a stern response if Khan violates the ban. Washington has also denied any role in Pakistan’s internal politics. Despite the ban, Khan is insisting his rally will be massive and peaceful — and continue until the government agrees to hold fresh elections this year, not in 2023 as scheduled. Organizers had planned for crowds to travel by car and bus to Islamabad’s city limits, then march on foot. Khan himself traveled by helicopter to a highway some 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Islamabad, where he condemned the police crackdown and urged supporters to join the rally. “My message for the nation: Everyone must break out of the grip of fear to achieve freedom,” he wrote on Twitter, before starting out by vehicle from the Swabi interchange. His convoy still faces a series of roadblocks ahead that would require heavy machinery to remove. Khan has urged his supporters to remove the containers that were filled with earth and circumvent any blockades in order to enter the city. “I will be among you Wednesday afternoon,” he had vowed on Tuesday. Also Read: Pakistan bans Imran Khan's rally, cracks down on supporters Thousands of Khan’s supporters along with leaders of his Tehreek-e-Insaf party had already massed in Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where his party rules. From there, his followers must cross a bridge at the province’s border that the government has blocked, before assembling on the outskirts of Islamabad. The government launched a crackdown and arrested more than 1,700 Khan supporters, according to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. He congratulated his countrymen for rejecting the rally by not participating in it and apologized for the inconvenience caused to citizens due to the blockades. “Imran Khan had claimed that he would gather 2 million people here in Islamabad today, but he is marching toward Islamabad along with only 6,000 or 7,000 demonstrators,” he told a news conference Wednesday. “We are fully prepared to handle him.” Authorities have deployed additional police and paramilitary troops on highways and in Islamabad, with also tractor trailers parked across both lanes of traffic in several areas. The measures were announced after a policeman was killed during a raid on the home of a notable Khan supporter in Lahore. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Supreme Court was hearing a petition Wednesday to remove the blockades into Islamabad. Authorities say that if Khan submits a written assurance that his rally will be peaceful and confined to a public park, the government could consider lifting its ban. The court was expected to announce an order about Khan’s rally later in the day.