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At least eight killed, almost 300 injured in Pakistan protests — newspaper

It is expected that the protests will continue on Thursday

ISLAMABAD, May 11. /TASS/. At least eight people have been killed and 290 have been injured during protests across Pakistan, which erupted this week following the arrest of former Pakistani prime minster and opposition leader Imran Khan, the Dawn newspaper reported on Thursday.

However, the publication provided no details on the incidents that resulted in casualties. On Tuesday and Wednesday, various Pakistani cities were rocked as protesters attacked government buildings and military facilities, and torched police vehicles.

According to the newspaper, almost 2,000 people have been detained across the country but the actual number of those arrested may be much higher.

Khan’s Movement for Justice Party (PTI), whose supporters are participating in the protests, also responded to a statement by the Pakistani armed forces on Thursday. Earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations of the Pakistani Defense Ministry (ISPR) condemned the attacks on the military facilities and said that "malicious elements abused public sentiments for their own self-serving and narrow purposes," speaking of the disturbances. On Thursday, in a response statement, the PTI denied involvement in any violence, stressing that the party was adhering to the constitution and was calling for peaceful protests only.

It is expected that the protests will continue on Thursday. The PTI on Twitter urged its supporters to join protest rallies across the county at 2 p.m. local time (12 p.m. Moscow time).

Imran Khan was arrested in Islamabad on May 9, which immediately sparked rallies in his support. He is being accused of corruption and using the foundation owned by him and his spouse as a vehicle for money laundering. The former prime minister is suspected of receiving "billions of rupees" from an unnamed real estate company for legalizing 50 bln rupees (about $175.5 mln) wired from the UK when Khan was the head of government.

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