Imran, cleric vow more protests to oust Sharif

ISLAMABAD, Aug 16, (AFP) - Pakistani opposition figures ramped up calls for the fall of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government today, but failed to attract massive crowds of protesters promised at rallies in the capital.

Addressing protesters he had led from the eastern city of Lahore, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said he would stage a sit-in that would continue until Sharif leaves office, lashing out at the government he claims was elected fraudulently.

Meanwhile populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri demanded Sharif's arrest over what he alleged was the murder of his supporters.

“Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif have no right to sit in the government, their cabinets should be dissolved and they should be arrested on murder charges,” Qadri said.

Shahbaz is the younger brother of Sharif and chief minister of largest Punjab province.

On June 17, at least 10 PAT workers were killed in clashes with police at Qadri's headquarters in Lahore and a judicial commission was formed to probe the killings.

Qadri also called for all four provincial assemblies and Pakistan's national assembly to be dissolved because they were formed in “unconstitutional” manner, in a wide ranging list of demands made today. But the fiery rhetoric was not matched by manpower: of the million promised in Islamabad by Khan and Qadri, just thousands remained in the capital by yesterday evening.

Khan himself spent a portion of the day at his residence in the suburbs of the capital, explaining he had to rest after the long journey while commanding his supporters to stay firmly put on Islamabad's streets.