Stand-off as Imran’s supporters mount siege in bid to oust Sharif

Jubilant anti-government demonstrators in Pakistan have claimed victory after tearing down barricades and occupying a key road outside parliament.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over alleged voting fraud.

Despite the mounting pressure, Mr Sharif’s party said he would not quit, while the country’s powerful army called for a negotiated settlement.

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The twin protests led by a famous cricketer-turned-politician and a popular cleric have brought tens of thousands of people into the streets, raising fears of unrest in the nuclear-armed US ally with a history of military coups and dictatorship.

Army spokesman General Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Twitter: “Situation requires patience, wisdom and sagacity from all stakeholders to resolve prevailing impasse.”

He said the government buildings in the so-called Red Zone were a “symbol of state” and were being protected by the army.

Imran Khan, the cricket star leading one of the protests, has called on demonstrators not to enter parliament but warned he would lead his supporters into the premier’s office if Sharif does not step down by this evening.

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Mr Sharif’s office is located near the parliament, and authorities have deployed police, paramilitary rangers and troops to guard it.

Imran, who heads parliament’s third-largest political bloc, and fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri – who enjoys a wide religious following – have led twin rallies calling on Mr Sharif to step down, accusing him of rigging the May 2013 election that brought him to office in the country’s first democratic transfer of power.

Mr Sharif was forced from office in 1999 when the then-army chief Pervez Musharraf seized power in a military coup.

A celebratory atmosphere prevailed outside the parliament yesterday, a day after tens of thousands of protesters entered the high-security Red Zone. Dancing to the beat of drums, protesters chanted anti-government slogans and said Mr Sharif’s government would soon fall.

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“Yesterday, people were saying we will never be able to reach the Parliament. Look, we are standing right in front of the parliament,” said Rabia Naeem, 22, a Khan supporter.

“Imran Khan is the only hope to save Pakistan from corrupt rulers.”

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