... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
mobilized the military to help secure the heart of the capital.
On a day when the country's political crisis escalated sharply, demonstrators demanding Sharif's resignation began their march toward heavily fortified areas of Islamabad shortly after sunrise. Although few expect Sharif to step down, the protests are fomenting further instability in a region struggling with an election stalemate in Afghanistan and the continued threat from Islamist militancy.
The march follows a multi-day sit-in led by Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree...
, leader of the Movement for Justice party, and firebrand
...
firebrandsare noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments...
holy man Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri. Khan alleges that last year's elections, in which Sharif's Pakistain Moslem League-N won the majority of seats in Parliament, were rife with fraud. Qadri accuses Sharif of being too slow in implementing political and economic reforms.
"Listen, Nawaz Sharif, I am coming, and you have to go," Khan declared before ordering his supporters to test police and military lines near Parliament. "I am coming for your resignation, and I will not return without that."
For days, Khan and Qadri had warned that they were preparing to lead their followers into the capital's "Red Zone," which includes the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, diplomatic compounds and Sharif's official residence.