Pakistan: Anti-government marchers enter Red Zone

By Aamir Latif

ISLAMABAD 

Thousands of stick-wielding protesters ran over the barricades and entered Pakistani capital Islamabad's sensitive Red Zone area, which houses state buildings, on Tuesday night as the heavy force deployed there offered no resistence.

 Chanting anti-government slogans and waving sticks, followers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) parties used cranes to remove the giant containers placed on roads leading to the parliament where they wanted to stage sit-in to press the government to stand down.

Many protesters wore gas masks and helmets in case of a clash with police, who so far have showed restraint.

PTI leader Imran Khan has threatened Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign by Wednesday evening. He said otherwise his supporters would enter the prime ministry house.

Khan, whose supporters have already reached the parliament house, told reporters that neither army nor police could stop his party's followers from entering the PM's house.

Meanwhile, the army called on all sides to show restraint to to resolve the crisis through talks.

All the buildings located in the Red Zone are the property of the state, and the army is protecting them, it said in a statement late Tuesday.

Khan’s PTI is one of the opposition parties trying to force Sharif to stand-down over allegations of electoral fraud in last year’s general election.

On Monday, the party declared PTI lawmakers would stand down from the national assembly and two provincial assemblies, Sindh and Punjab. The party’s representatives will not resign in north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, where they enjoy a majority and form the government.

PAT leader Tahir ul Qadri, a controversial religious leader who is the other central figure calling for Sharif’s resignation, announced countrywide sit-ins from Tuesday to put more pressure on the government.

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