Thousands of protestors marched on Pakistan's parliament on Tuesday in a bid to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and Canadian cleric Tahir ul-Qadri led twin protest movements into the heart of Islamabad's "Red Zone," which includes the parliament, Sharif's home and office, and Western embassies, Reuters reported. The unrest is yet another problem for Pakistan's new civilian government, which is already burdened with a Taliban insurgency and high unemployment rates, according to Al Jazeera.
Khan claims that Sharif rigged the elections that brought him to power in 2013. Meanwhile, Qadri accuses Sharif of corruption, and moving too slowly to implement promised reforms. Both leaders have rallied supporters behind their respective causes. Khan's protesters are mostly young men, while Qadri's more disciplined supporters include families, Reuters reported.
"If police try to stop us and there is violence, Nawaz I will not spare you, I will come after you and put you in jail," Khan declared at a rally.
For the past week, demonstrators have been banned from the capital's Red Zone. On Tuesday, the twin protests converged on the area, which police had barricaded with barbed wire and shipping containers. Protesters used cranes and bolt cutters to remove these barricades, and marched on parliament, according to the Guardian. The Red Zone was guarded by police and the Pakistani army, Al Jazeera reported.
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