 "Imran calls for civil disobedience to oust Pakistan PM Sharif")
Pakistan's opposition leader Imran Khan on Sunday declared a "civil disobedience movement" against the Nawaz Sharif-led government, saying the country's future is bleak under the rule of businessmen, as cleric Tahirul Qadri gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the embattled prime minister to resign.
"I have called for the civil disobedience movement for you, not for myself. We will not pay taxes, electricity or gas bills," Khan told his supporters while giving a speech which he described as the most important of his political career.
"I thought that if this rally heads towards the Prime Minister House then they will clash with the police," and they (the police) will get killed which "I don't want", he said on the second day of his sit-in here.
He urged the crowd not to move ahead, because he has promised Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar that he and his supporters will not cross into the "Red Zone" where the parliament, the President's and the prime minister's residences and embassies are located.
Khan, a former Pakistan cricket captain, said he will not be able to hold back his supporters if his demands are not met within two days.
Tens of thousands joined the protests in Pakistan's capital on Sunday. "Nawaz Sharif should resign as soon as possible. We will keep pushing forward, even into his bedroom," said Ali Gandapur, revenue minister in the province Khan's party controls, surrounded by rifle-carrying bodyguards.
Sharif has been struggling to overcome daily power cuts, a sluggish economy and a Taliban insurgency. Anti-Western militant groups have been growing in strength, worrying Pakistan's allies.
Many of the young men gathering at Khan's protest said they were eager to push against heavily fortified lines of riot police to reach parliament or the prime minister's house if Khan commanded.
"I told my parents, if I am martyred, pray for me," said student Muhammed Qasim, 21, his goatee painted in the red and green colours of Khan's party.
Riot police wearing body armour and carrying tear gas stacked shipping containers on top of each other and covered them with oil to prevent people climbing them behind the stage where Khan was due to speak.
The cricketer-turned-politician, at the start of his speech, said, "I assure you that when I finish my speech, and if you do what I ask you to, then no one can stop a 'naya' Pakistan from being made."
The country's information minister, Pervez Rashid, told local television station Geo the government would not permit protesters to overrun government offices or the Red Zone.
"If they go to Red Zone, will the world see it?" Rashid asked. "This is our internal issue, but if they go into Red Zone, the issue will be heard in capitals across the world via their embassies. And there will be alarm bells in the capitals, signaling that Pakistan has turned into a insecure country."
Khan and Qadri arrived in Islamabad on Friday and say they will stay in the streets until Sharif, whom they condemn as corrupt, resigns.
Sharif's relationship with the powerful military has been poor, leading some in his government to suggest elements in the military are directing the protests to weaken the government and discourage it from policies it disapproves of.
Those include the prosecution for treason of former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf, who overthrew Sharif in a coup in 1999, ushering in a decade of military rule.
Despite Pakistan's history of coups, few feel the military wants to oust Sharif. The Supreme Court issued a warning on Friday against "unconstitutional" action.
Some analysts say the unrest has erupted because the opposition senses Sharif is vulnerable because of his rocky relations with the military, dithering over peace talks with the Taliban and failure to fill key ministries more than a year after taking office.
Qadri's supporters have set up camp on the capital's main thoroughfare, Jinnah Avenue, forcing many businesses to close.
"We are giving 48 hours for the government to resign and dissolve the assemblies and present themselves before the law," Qadri said Saturday night. "Otherwise the people will decide and I will not be responsible."
"I have called for the civil disobedience movement for you, not for myself. We will not pay taxes, electricity or gas bills," Khan told his supporters while giving a speech which he described as the most important of his political career.
"I thought that if this rally heads towards the Prime Minister House then they will clash with the police," and they (the police) will get killed which "I don't want", he said on the second day of his sit-in here.
More From This Section
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief asserted that under the rule of "these businessmen who only want to make money for themselves, Pakistan's future is bleak". Khan's remarks were directed at Sharif, the the owner of Ittefaq Group and one of the wealthiest people in Pakistan.
He urged the crowd not to move ahead, because he has promised Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar that he and his supporters will not cross into the "Red Zone" where the parliament, the President's and the prime minister's residences and embassies are located.
Khan, a former Pakistan cricket captain, said he will not be able to hold back his supporters if his demands are not met within two days.
Tens of thousands joined the protests in Pakistan's capital on Sunday. "Nawaz Sharif should resign as soon as possible. We will keep pushing forward, even into his bedroom," said Ali Gandapur, revenue minister in the province Khan's party controls, surrounded by rifle-carrying bodyguards.
Sharif has been struggling to overcome daily power cuts, a sluggish economy and a Taliban insurgency. Anti-Western militant groups have been growing in strength, worrying Pakistan's allies.
Many of the young men gathering at Khan's protest said they were eager to push against heavily fortified lines of riot police to reach parliament or the prime minister's house if Khan commanded.
"I told my parents, if I am martyred, pray for me," said student Muhammed Qasim, 21, his goatee painted in the red and green colours of Khan's party.
Riot police wearing body armour and carrying tear gas stacked shipping containers on top of each other and covered them with oil to prevent people climbing them behind the stage where Khan was due to speak.
The cricketer-turned-politician, at the start of his speech, said, "I assure you that when I finish my speech, and if you do what I ask you to, then no one can stop a 'naya' Pakistan from being made."
The country's information minister, Pervez Rashid, told local television station Geo the government would not permit protesters to overrun government offices or the Red Zone.
"If they go to Red Zone, will the world see it?" Rashid asked. "This is our internal issue, but if they go into Red Zone, the issue will be heard in capitals across the world via their embassies. And there will be alarm bells in the capitals, signaling that Pakistan has turned into a insecure country."
Khan and Qadri arrived in Islamabad on Friday and say they will stay in the streets until Sharif, whom they condemn as corrupt, resigns.
Sharif's relationship with the powerful military has been poor, leading some in his government to suggest elements in the military are directing the protests to weaken the government and discourage it from policies it disapproves of.
Those include the prosecution for treason of former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf, who overthrew Sharif in a coup in 1999, ushering in a decade of military rule.
Despite Pakistan's history of coups, few feel the military wants to oust Sharif. The Supreme Court issued a warning on Friday against "unconstitutional" action.
Some analysts say the unrest has erupted because the opposition senses Sharif is vulnerable because of his rocky relations with the military, dithering over peace talks with the Taliban and failure to fill key ministries more than a year after taking office.
Qadri's supporters have set up camp on the capital's main thoroughfare, Jinnah Avenue, forcing many businesses to close.
"We are giving 48 hours for the government to resign and dissolve the assemblies and present themselves before the law," Qadri said Saturday night. "Otherwise the people will decide and I will not be responsible."