This Article is From Aug 31, 2014

Pakistani Opposition Clashes with the Police

Pakistani Opposition Clashes with the Police

Protesters take position alongside a fire near the Prime Minister's residence in Islamabad. (AFP)

Islamabad: Clashes broke out in the Pakistani capital Saturday night after thousands of protesters led by two opposition leaders tried to march toward the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The two opposition leaders, Imran Khan, a charismatic former cricket star, and Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, an influential cleric, said they planned to protest outside the prime minister's home, which is on a hill overlooking the capital. Armed with sticks and batons, many wearing gas masks, the protesters tried to break through police cordons and attempted to remove shipping containers, which had blocked a road leading to the prime minister's house, with the help of a big crane.

Thousands of protesters have been camping in Islamabad since two leading opposition politicians, Khan and Qadri, an influential cleric, led two separate marches on the capital from Lahore. They have been demanding Sharif's resignation and the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies. Khan is demanding new elections; Qadri wants an interim unity government to run the country as well as ambitious economic and political overhauls.

The government has agreed to consider changes to the country's contentious electoral system and initiate an independent investigation into allegations of rigging in last year's general elections, one of Khan's criticisms of Sharif. But ruling party members say their opponents need to drop their demands for Sharif's resignation.

Sharif said Saturday that he would not resign and called the demands to do so by his opponents "unacceptable" and "unconstitutional."

The marches Saturday came after talks broke down between the government and representatives of Khan and Qadri.

"Nawaz Sharif should step down as prime minister to take the country out of this deadlock," said Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a senior leader of Khan's  political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, while talking to local news media late Saturday. "We want to break the political impasse. The sticking point is prime minister's resignation."

Before charging toward the heavily guarded government building, both Khan and Qadri said their supporters would remain peaceful. "I am a decent man," Qadri said in a speech to his supporters. "I have been fighting for peace. I have lived for peace. I will die for peace. There will be no violence at all," he said. Khan warned security forces not to stop the marchers from assembling outside the prime minister's residence.

But violence soon erupted after some protesters tried to enter the premises of the presidency, which is nearby, and clashed with police; according to some local news media reports, the first tear-gas canisters were deployed by security forces deployed inside the premier's official residence. Police officers wielding batons charged the crowd to disperse the protesters. There were also news reports about the use of rubber bullets that could not be independently verified.

Several protesters were seen throwing stones at the police with sling shots. The barrage of tear-gas canisters sent the protesters scrambling for cover as Constitution Avenue, in front of Sharif's house, was enveloped in a clouds of smoke.

Rescue workers said at least 70 people, including 20 police officials, were wounded and moved to hospitals in the capital.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the Pakistani defense minister, said the government was compelled to use force after protesters tried to storm important buildings that symbolized the state.

"They violated the last line that we had drawn," Asif said. "Negotiations cannot go on when a gun is pointed at our temples."

Khan condemned the use of force by the police and urged his followers across the country to take to the streets Sunday in protest.
© 2014, The New York Times News Service
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