Supporters demanding the release of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan broke through security barricades in Islamabad on Tuesday, leading to violent clashes with authorities that have resulted in at least six deaths. Protesters defied government warnings, including threats of live gunfire, as they confronted security forces in the capital.

Among the dead were four security personnel and one civilian, who were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street. A police officer also died in a separate incident. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the violence, accusing an “anarchist group” of deliberately targeting law enforcement. No group has claimed responsibility for the vehicle attack.

Security forces have flooded central Islamabad, with Pakistan’s army assuming control of D-Chowk, a key square in the city’s Red Zone, home to major government buildings. Paramilitary rangers and police formed additional lines of defense at the site. Rangers fired warning shots into the air and ordered journalists and bystanders to leave the area.

Bushra Bibi, Khan’s wife, led a heavily guarded convoy of supporters toward D-Chowk. The convoy, consisting of dozens of vehicles, slowly moved along Jinnah Avenue as supporters cheered and surrounded it.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, while visiting the protest site, stated that police have been given discretion to act based on the situation. Earlier, Naqvi warned that security forces would use live fire if protesters escalated their aggression by using weapons.

The protests have intensified tensions in the capital as Khan’s supporters remain resolute in their demand for his release, challenging the government’s authority amid escalating violence.