Police in northwestern Pakistan have been accused of firing live rounds and tear gas at supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan as protests against federal rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa escalated into violence on Tuesday, The Independent reported.

At least five protesters suffered bullet injuries during clashes in the provincial capital, Peshawar, according to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper. Protesters also reportedly set fire to government buildings as tensions mounted following the suspension of the provincial government led by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Police initially used batons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators gathered in Bara Bazaar, local media reports said. As the crowd surged, officers reportedly retreated into nearby shops before firing tear gas and shooting into the air to disperse the protesters.

However, officials from the new provincial administration denied allegations that police had fired live ammunition at demonstrators.

Samar Haroon Bilour, an official serving under the governor-led administration, described the allegations as “baseless and frivolous”. She claimed that the accusations were being circulated by anonymous social media accounts using artificial intelligence-generated footage.

Bilour said police had responded in a measured manner to rioting and vandalism and had arrested 50 people.

Government offices set ablaze

The unrest spread beyond Peshawar as protesters reportedly targeted government facilities in the surrounding areas.

PTI information secretary Ikram Khatana said unidentified individuals set fire to an office of the National Database and Registration Authority in Bara, around 15 kilometres from Peshawar, and stormed nearby government offices.

PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari shared videos on social media platform X that he said showed the violence in Bara Bazaar. He described the imposition of federal rule as a coup and warned that protests against the move could spread.

The demonstrations followed Pakistan's president declaring emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, effectively suspending the only provincial government controlled by Khan's party.

PTI calls takeover an attack on democracy

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been a stronghold of Khan's PTI for around 13 years and has recently witnessed renewed demonstrations demanding his release from prison.

The province was the only one in Pakistan governed by the party before the federal intervention.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the only province left with a genuine democratic mandate,” Bukhari said earlier. “Now, even that last shred of democracy has been stripped away.”

The PTI has said it will challenge the federal government's takeover of the province through legal channels.

Government cites security concerns

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi defended the imposition of federal rule on Monday, arguing that the move was necessary to combat terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan.

“No war can be won, however many resources you bring, whatever you do, until the government there leads it,” Naqvi told reporters.

The government has presented the intervention as a response to security challenges, while the PTI has condemned it as an assault on the province's democratic mandate.

Imran Khan remains in jail

Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 and faces allegations including corruption and inciting riots targeting military installations. He denies that his removal from office in 2022 was legitimate, previously accusing Pakistan's powerful military of orchestrating the parliamentary no-confidence vote against him at the behest of the United States.

His wife is also in prison, while his three sisters are currently in detention, according to the report.

The latest clashes have added to tensions surrounding Khan's continued imprisonment and the political future of his party's remaining provincial stronghold.