ISLAMABAD: Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters at a massive protest camp in Pakistan’s capital awaited a Sunday deadline set by their leader calling for the prime minister resign.
Authorities in Islamabad strengthened security around the camp as the protest entered its third day, including walls of shipping containers blocking roads leading into and out of the protest area, as well as deploying riot police and paramilitary forces.
Firebrand cleric Maulana Fazlur Rehman had led a caravan of supporters to Islamabad last week in a bid to pressure Imran Khan to step down, calling him an “illegitimate” ruler. He claims the 2018 election that brought Khan to power was rigged, and has implied — without naming names — that Pakistan’s powerful army supported Khan. The military denies the allegations, saying it remains impartial.
Rehman, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, has agreed with authorities that the protesters will not leave the government-designated area.
But he has also hinted he could lead a march on the “Red Zone,” the seat of Pakistan’s government, to force Khan’s resignation. The prime minister says he has no plans of quitting.
It’s unclear what Rehman’s next move will be once his deadline expires Sunday evening.
Negotiations to defuse the standoff were taking place between members of Khan’s government and opposition lawmakers.
Authorities have said they won’t try to stop the protests as long as they remain in the designated area, which stretches over a kilometer (mile) along a highway and into an open area.
Some protesters in the all-male encampment seemed prepared for a long stay, and had even begun turning the shipping containers into living spaces.
“I want the government to bring more of these containers, they’re now serving as our little homes here, as the weather is getting colder every night,” said Gul Aman, a protester from the western Baluchistan province. Others were seen cooking meals and washing clothes outside their tents Sunday.
Several thousand volunteers dressed in head-to-toe yellow uniforms have been handling security, according to protest organizers. Many supporters also carried the black and white striped flag of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party.
Rehman had attempted to ban female journalists from accessing the camp, but was forced to reverse his decision after sparking outrage on social media.
The hard-line cleric has campaigned for regressive legislation targeting women, and opposed legislation to eliminate of violence against women. He has also refused to allow women members of his party to participate in the demonstration.
The mass rally comes after Pakistani businesses observed a nationwide strike last week against recently enacted taxes, which the opposition says were imposed as part of the International Monetary Fund’s $6 billion bailout package for Pakistan.
A report by the World Economic Forum released last month says Pakistan ranks 110th on the international organization’s annual Global Competitiveness Index. The report said Pakistan’s 2019 ranking dropped three places due to poor performance in key areas of press freedoms, governance, innovation, corruption, life expectancy, productivity and human development.
Opposition protesters remain camped in Islamabad demanding PM's resignation
Opposition protesters remain camped in Islamabad demanding PM's resignation
- JUIF chief had given until Sunday for the prime minister to resign
- Government mulls moving court against protest leader for incitement against PM, state institutions
Peace can only prevail if Afghanistan renounces support for ‘terrorism’— Pakistan defense chief
- Pakistan’s chief of defense forces visits South Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan
- Pakistan says has killed 481 Afghan Taliban operatives since clashes began last Thursday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said on Wednesday that peace with Afghanistan can only prevail if Kabul renounces support for “terrorism” and “terrorist” organizations, the military’s media wing said as the two countries remain locked in conflict.
Fighting between the two neighbors, the worst in decades, broke out last Thursday night after Afghan forces attacked Pakistan’s military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said its attacks were in response to earlier airstrikes by Pakistan against alleged militant hideouts in its country.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militant outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil who have launched attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces in recent years. Kabul denies the allegations.
Munir visited Wana town in Pakistan’s South Waziristan district to review the security situation and troops’ operational preparedness at the Afghan border, the Pakistani military’s media wing said in a statement.
“The Field Marshal reiterated that peace could only prevail between both sides if the Afghan Taliban renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organizations,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The military chief said the use of Afghan soil by militant outfits to launch attacks against Pakistan was unacceptable, vowing that “all necessary measures” would be taken to neutralize cross-border threats.
During the visit, Munir was briefed by military commanders about ongoing intelligence-based operations and measures being taken by the military to manage the border with Afghanistan.
He was also briefed about “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” or “Wrath for the Truth,” the name Pakistan has given to its military operation against Afghan forces, the ISPR said.
The Pakistani military chief spoke to troops deployed in the area, praising their vigilance, professional conduct and high morale, the ISPR said.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the military has killed 481 Taliban operatives, injured more than 690 and destroyed 226 Afghan checkposts since clashes began.
Arab News has been unable to verify claims by both sides about the damages they claim to have inflicted on each other.
Afghanistan has signaled it is open for dialogue but Pakistan rejected the offer, saying it would continue its military operations till its objectives were achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified with several countries, including global bodies such as the European Union and United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara would help reinstate a ceasefire, the Turkish Presidency said on Tuesday, as other countries that had offered to mediate have since been hit by the conflict in the Gulf.
