Pakistan has plunged further into a political crisis as anti-government protesters hold their ground in the capital, Islamabad, to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The protesters have further wreaked havoc across the city of roughly 1.7 million inhabitants by blocking roads and disrupting traffic and business.
Meanwhile, commuters have to circumvent shipping containers and barbed wire in order to get to work.
Tens of thousands of people have descended on Islamabad in recent days, answering the calls from Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, as well as a Canada-based outspoken cleric, Tahir-ul-Qadri, to push for Sharif’s departure.
Both Khan and Qadri have left an offer of talks from incumbent Pakistani prime minister dangling. Khan has not yet responded to the government’s call for talks, seeking more details. Qadri, however, has rejected the offer outright.
“Qadri will not speak to any of the committees. Our demand is simply that the government should step down,” a spokesman for Qadri, Shahid Mursaleen, said, noting that Qadri’s supporters will not budge.
Khan and Qadri have called for Sharif to quit, accusing him of corruption and ballot rigging during last year’s parliamentary elections. Both of them want new elections to be held in Pakistan.
They vowed to keep up anti-government demonstrations until their demands are met and Sharif leaves office.
Khan has warned that he may not be able to stop his supporters from marching on parliament and the fortified enclave where most foreign embassies are located.
MP/AB/SS
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