Now, Sharif Threatens to Clear Protesters Camped in pakistan’s Capital
18 Sep 2014 11:11 PM GMT
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, weakened by weeks of demonstrations calling for him to resign, threatened on Wednesday to clear a protest camp established more than a month ago outside government offices in Islamabad.
Protesters led by Imran Khan, a former cricket star, and Tahir ul-Qadri, a firebrand cleric, have been locked in a bitter stand-off with the government since mid-August, refusing to leave their camp until Sharif steps down.
The protest leaders accuse Sharif of rigging last year’s election which brought him back to power in a landslide.‘Up until now, we have tolerated all this and acted with decency and patience,’ Sharif said in televised remarks.
‘Otherwise it’s no hard task for us to clear the way and clear the streets.’ Pakistan’s opposition leaders ordered thousands of their supporters this weekend to resist any government attempt to quash their protests, prolonging a political crisis in the coup-prone country.
Khan’s party said it had not backed down from its demand that Sharif quit and was ending dialogue with the government after 100 activists were jailed over the weekend.
Protesters led by Imran Khan, a former cricket star, and Tahir ul-Qadri, a firebrand cleric, have been locked in a bitter stand-off with the government since mid-August, refusing to leave their camp until Sharif steps down.
The protest leaders accuse Sharif of rigging last year’s election which brought him back to power in a landslide.‘Up until now, we have tolerated all this and acted with decency and patience,’ Sharif said in televised remarks.
‘Otherwise it’s no hard task for us to clear the way and clear the streets.’ Pakistan’s opposition leaders ordered thousands of their supporters this weekend to resist any government attempt to quash their protests, prolonging a political crisis in the coup-prone country.
Khan’s party said it had not backed down from its demand that Sharif quit and was ending dialogue with the government after 100 activists were jailed over the weekend.
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