Islamabad: Security forces on Tuesday shot dead a man, whom police claimed was affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, after he allegedly opened fire on them at a check post on the Mall Road close to the army's General Headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

"The attacker, Muhammad Hussain, was immediately killed in retaliatory fire," said a statement by Rawalpindi police.

The police added that evidence skimmed from the mobile phone of the dead man showed that he was associated with a political party.

The "links have emerged from his mobile phone and other belongings," they said.

"Law enforcement agencies remain fully prepared and committed to eliminating all forms of terrorism and incitement to unrest,” police said.

Citing security sources, state-run PTV News said the assailant was a resident of Khyber district and an "active PTI member". A PTI flag, bullets and weapons were also recovered from him, it added.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar slammed PTI’s “politics of violence” after state media reported the incident. He said there was "no reason for opening fire on security personnel." Meanwhile, PTI distanced itself from the incident, saying it had nothing to do with terrorism and that efforts were being made to link the party to it.

The party's Islamabad regional president Amir Mughal said the party believed in peaceful and unarmed political struggle and rejected any attempt to associate it with acts of violence.

The party has been trying to mobilise masses to protest against the incarceration of its founder Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 5, 2023. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)