By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Ousted prime minister Imran Khan has warned the government to set fresh elections schedule in the next six days, failing which he will again march on the capital Islamabad to stage a sit-in along with millions of people.
Khan spoke at a rally of thousands of his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters in the wee hours of Thursday in Islamabad, aiming to bring down the government and force early elections.
The government earlier had summoned troops to guard important buildings, including the parliament and offices of the president and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The measures came following clashes between Khan’s supporters and police.
Islamabad was sealed off to not allow the entry of the march and police shelled tear gas as the capital turned into a battleground.
The Supreme Court, however, allowed Khan’s party to hold its march in the outskirts of Islamabad and stopped the government from arresting its leaders and workers. The court also restricted Khan’s supporters to hold rally at D-Chowk in red zone — an order they defied later.
Khan, a former cricket star-turned-politician, was prime minister for more than three and a half years until being removed last month by a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Since then, he has held rallies across the country, saying his removal from office was the result of a United States-backed plot and collusion with Sharif. Both have denied the allegation.
Khan began his march towards Islamabad from the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Clashes initially erupted in the eastern city of Lahore, when riot police fired tear gas and pushed back hundreds of demonstrators who hurled stones as they tried to pass a roadblocked bridge near the city to board buses bound for Islamabad.
Dozens of Khan’s followers also briefly clashed with police in Islamabad, where the demonstrators set fire to bushes lining a main boulevard, sending smoke and flames rising into the sky.
Altercations were also reported elsewhere, including in Karachi, where demonstrators burned a police vehicle.
Khan told the protestors he had planned to remain inside Islamabad until the government dissolves assemblies and announces elections.
“But of what I have seen in the past 24 hours, they are taking the nation towards anarchy. The government was also trying to create a divide between the nation and police.”
“The government will be happy if he staged a sit-in in Islamabad as it will lead to clashes between the people and police and the army.”
Khan after 30 mins long speech left for his resident near Islamabad. Subsequently his party called of sit-in protest.
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