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ISLAMABAD: Public life largely returned to normal in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and the nearby Rawalpindi garrison city on Monday, the local administration said, following a police crackdown on pro-Palestine marchers camped in the eastern Punjab province.

The march was organized by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religio-political party and aimed to stage a protest outside the US embassy in Islamabad to express solidarity with Palestine. It sparked clashes in several cities as authorities attempted to keep the marchers from heading to the capital.

The situation triggered road blockades and prompted authorities to suspend mobile Internet in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities on Friday, paralyzing public life for days. On Monday, police dispersed the marchers who had been camped in Punjab’s Muridke city on their way to Islamabad from Lahore.

A clash between authorities and protesters killed at least five people, including a police officer and injured dozens of others, police and witnesses said on Monday. Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar said the demonstrators opened fire on authorities, killing the officer and wounding others. Police said three protesters and one passerby also died in the clashes before the demonstrators were dispersed.

“Normal life and business activities have been fully restored in the city,” the Islamabad administration said in a statement on Monday evening. “No protests or demonstrations are taking place in any area of ​​the city.”

It said no roads have been blocked in the capital, however, the flow of traffic was slow due to obstacles at a few places.

“There is a restriction on protests or demonstrations in the city,” the administration. “Citizens are requested not to be a part of any illegal activity.”

Videos released by TLP on Monday showed several vehicles burning, including a truck carrying party officials who were leading what they have called the “long march” to Islamabad.

The TLP said in a statement on Monday that hundreds of march participants were injured and the casualty figure was high among its supporters. Monday’s clashes began when protesters tried to remove shipping containers placed by police to block roads. Supporters clashed with police in Lahore last week, before camping 30 kilometers away in Muridke.

The US Embassy issued a security alert last week ahead of the march, warning of possible disruptions and urging US citizens to exercise caution.

The TLP, known for staging disruptive and sometimes violent demonstrations, has drawn mixed reactions online. Some in Pakistan have accused the government of overreacting to the march by blocking major roads even before the protest began.

Pakistan Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said over the weekend that he failed to understand why TLP opted for violence instead of celebrating peace in Gaza.

TLP gained prominence in Pakistan’s 2018 elections by campaigning on the single issue of defending the country’s blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam. Since then, the party has staged violent rallies, mainly against desecration abroad of Islam’s holy book, Qur’an.

The party has held pro-Palestinian rallies in recent years in Lahore and other cities. This march was planned to travel toward the US embassy to express support for Palestinians.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) fell sharply on Monday as cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan prompted broad-based selling across key sectors, traders and analysts said.

The benchmark KSE-100 index fell by 4,654.77 points, or 2.85 percent, to close at 158,443.42 points, compared to the weekend close of 163,098.19 points.

Muhammad Waqas Ghani, head of research at JS Global Capital Ltd, said the decline comes amid escalating tensions with Afghanistan after three-week bull run.

“The heightened geopolitical uncertainty has triggered broad-based selling across key sectors, including banking, energy and cement, as investors remain cautious,” he told Arab News.

Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border fire over the weekend, leaving 23 Pakistani soldiers and more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters dead, while several Afghan border posts were destroyed, according to the Pakistani military.

The skirmishes have plunged the already strained relations between the two sides to a new low.

Meanwhile, Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer of Arif Habib Commodities, said apart from the security situation, stocks also fell due to uncertainty surrounding Pakistan’s talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its $8.4 billion loan reviews.

“Uncertainty over outcome of the finance minister’s crucial meeting with the IMF and World Bank to secure the next IMF tranche and contest major adjustments IMF proposed for the external account played a catalyst role in selling activity at PSX,” he said.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb arrived in Washington on Sunday to attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, where he will hold a series of high-level talks on investment, taxation and economic reforms, his ministry said.

The visit comes as Pakistan engages with the International Monetary Fund to unlock the next tranche of its $7 billion loan program approved in September 2024, aimed at supporting economic stabilization and structural reforms, and a $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility secured in May.