Pakistan oppn leader Imran Khan threatens to storm PM house if Sharif refuses to quit

8/20/2014

Supporters of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran 

Khan during a protest in Islamabad. (AP photo)

Pakistan opposition leader Imran Khan has threatened to storm prime minister house if Nawaz Sharif refuses to step down by Wednesday evening, as thousands of anti-government protesters entered the heavily fortified 'Red Zone' and set up camp in front of the Parliament House.

"If Nawaz Sharif does not resign, we will enter into the PM House," Khan said on Tuesday night while addressing to protesters, outside the parliament.

Khan said that he has given prime minister Sharif till Wednesday evening to resign.

The rallies led by Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday marched into the Red Zone and set up camp in front of the Parliament House, even as the government, opposition members and the army urging all stakeholders to end the impasse via talks.

"Promise me, if something were to happen to me, you will take revenge from Nawaz Sharif," Khan said before starting his march towards the Red Zone that houses important government buildings including the Parliament House, Prime Minister House, President House, the Supreme Court besides embassies.

Unfazed by army deployment, Khan and Awami Tehreek chief Tahir-ul Qadri marched towards the Parliament demanding Sharif's resignation, putting the PML-N-led government on the backfoot.

Pakistan's powerful military called on Wednesday for talks to resolve the week-long political drama in the country.

Men, women and children of all ages staged a sit-in outside the parliament building after defying a government ban on entering Islamabad's "red zone", which houses key buildings including the official residences of the prime minister and the president and foreign embassies.

They say last year's general election was rigged, and have piled pressure on the government, starting with two-day "long marches" from the eastern city of Lahore to Islamabad, where they have held five days of rallies.

The government had banned them from the red zone. But Khan and Qadri defied the call, and soon after midnight on Wednesday thousands of their supporters entered the high-security area, using cranes to remove shipping containers put in place to seal off the area.

Tens of thousands of security personnel have been deployed to maintain order. On Tuesday, the government doubled the contingent of soldiers guarding sensitive buildings in the red zone to 700.

Pakistani religious cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri flashes "V" sign to his supporters during a massive rally in front of The Parliament building in Islamabad. (AP Photo)

As Khan and Qadri's followers entered the zone, army spokesman General Asim Bajwa called for restraint and a negotiated settlement.

"Situation requires patience, wisdom and sagacity from all stakeholders to resolve prevailing impasse through meaningful dialogue in larger national and public interest," he said through a recognised Twitter account.

"We will stay here until the sun of revolution rises and a national government is formed," Qadri said after reaching the parliament building early on Wednesday.

"Do not enter inside the president and prime minister's houses or the prime minister's secretariat."

Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan gestures during a protest march against the country's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government in Islamabad. (AFP Photo)

'Human lives are precious'

Despite fears of violence, there were no major clashes as the protesters entered the red zone Wednesday, with security forces standing off and the government pledging restraint.

Both Khan and Qadri have ordered their followers, who numbered an estimated 35,000 on Tuesday night, to avoid violence during the sit-ins.

After the leader's speeches overnight, many of the protesters went to sleep on the road and lawns in front of the parliament, hampering morning traffic in the area.

Local media reports said lawmakers, judges and staff were unable to reach the parliament or the court due to the sit-in.

The United States, which is closely monitoring the protests, echoed the call for demonstrators to avoid violence, urging all parties to "resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue".

Nuclear-armed Pakistan has experienced three military coups, and the protests triggered speculation about possible intervention by the armed forces.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party has accused the protesters of trying to derail the nation's perennially fragile democratic system, as the government struggles with Taliban militancy and a flagging economy.

Opposition parties have shunned Khan's call to unseat the government, while newspapers and business leaders have also criticised Khan's tactics, which include a call for "civil disobedience".

Britain, one of Pakistan's leading partners and a major aid donor, urged the two sides to find a democratic solution to the crisis.

Thousands of supporters of anti-government cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri dance during a march in front of parliament building in Islamabad. (AP Photo)

The European Union also voiced its support for democracy in Pakistan -- and linked it to a highly prized trade deal.

The general election of May 2013 which swept Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party to power -- and brought PTI its best-ever result -- was rated as free and credible by international observers, but both Khan and Qadri insist it was fixed.

Last week, Sharif tried to head off the protests by setting up a judicial commission to investigate rigging allegations, but Khan dismissed the proposal immediately.

With inputs from PTI, AFP, Reuters)

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