Reason for Islamabad bloodshed? `Religious sentiments of security forces were hurt`

One security personnel was killed and close to 250 injured when forces clashed with hardline Islamic protesters demanding the resignation of Pakistan Law Minister just outside Islamabad.

Islamabad Police on Wednesday told Pakistan's Supreme Court that last week's clashes against protesters just outside the capital city were primarily caused because 'they had hurt the religious sentiments of security forces with their inflammatory speeches.'

A security person was killed and close to 250 injured when forces clashed with hundreds of protesters blocking main highways leading to the capital Islamabad last week. They were demanding the resignation of Pakistan law minister Zahid Hamid for changes made about Khatm-i-Nabuwwat or finality of prophethood oath in the Elections Act 2017 passed in September.

A nine-page report submitted by the Islamabad police force to the country's apex court sais that the protesters were religiously motivated and that their speeches were targeted at hurting religious sentiments of security forces keeping vigil. It also said that the close to 2000 protesters were mostly armed with stones, pistols, axes and rods.

The force though did admit that fatigue may have played a part in the situation getting out of hand as most security personnel had been deployed in the area for 20 days straight. "Mixed deployment of different forces, including the police, Frontier Constabulary (FC) and Pakistan Rangers, also had negative effects on productivity," Pakistani media quoted from the report.

Earlier this week, Hamid quit from his post as Law Minister as part of an agreement reached between the government and the protesters over the weekend.