Pakistani cleric, opposition leader begin protest marches

Clashes in Pakistan after shots fired at opposition leader Imran Khan Fri, Aug 15 06:51 AM EDT image 1 of 7 By Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Clashes broke out Friday as tens of thousands of Pakistani protesters from two anti-government movements converged on the capital, presenting the 15-month-old civilian government with its biggest challenge yet. Gunshots hit the vehicle of former cricket star and opposition politician Imran Khan as he led his supporters through the eastern city of Gujranwala. Residents brandishing ruling-party posters attacked his convoy, throwing shoes and stones. Khan was not injured, his spokeswoman said. Khan and populist cleric Tahir ul-Qadri are slowly leading separate processions towards Islamabad where they plan to occupy main streets until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigns. Security was tight in the capital and authorities had blocked several main roads with shipping containers and barbed wire in a effort to thwart the marches. Riot police were out in force but hundreds of protesters began to gather, banging drums, singing and dancing as they prepared to welcome the their comrades approaching the city. "We have come to save our country because of the call of our leader, Imran Khan," said 36-year-old Ajaz Khan in central Islamabad. He was speaking before the shots were fired at Khan. "We will not leave from here until our leader tells us to go." The protests have raised questions over stability at a time when the nuclear-armed nation of 180 million is fighting an offensive against Pakistani Taliban militants and the influence of anti-Western and sectarian groups is growing. In the latest violence, 10 militants were killed and 13 members of the security forces were wounded in attacks on two air force bases in the city Quetta late on Thursday, the third time since June airports had been targeted. Some members of Sharif's ruling party have suggested the protests are secretly backed by elements in the powerful military, which has had an uneasy relationship with Sharif. How far Khan and Qadri succeed in destabilising the government is likely to depend on the stance taken by a military, which has a long history of mounting coups. While few people think there will be a coup but many officials fear the threat of unrest will increase the military's hold over the government. The military has been frustrated with the government, in particular over the prosecution of former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf for treason. There was also disagreement between the government and the army on how to handle the Pakistani Taliban with the army favouring military action and the government holding out hope for peace talks. REFEREE? The government is also struggling to overcome daily power shortages, high unemployment, and spiralling crime - the legacy of decades of corruption and neglect. Anger over the economy means the protests appeal to many disillusioned young Pakistanis. Both protest leaders also command intense personal loyalty from their followers. Khan is a famed former cricketer, known for his charity work, who now heads the third largest legislative bloc in the country. Qadri, a cleric and political activist who usually lives in Canada, controls a large network of schools and Islamic charities. His followers say they intend to occupy Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad's main thoroughfare leading to many embassies and government buildings. "We will not go back until Sharif resigns," said Qadri's spokesman, Shahid Mursaleen. "They killed our people, there is no way we can make a deal with them." Qadri has accused police of killing 22 of his supporters during clashes in the eastern city of Lahore in June and this month. Police confirmed 11 deaths. About 2,000 of Qadri's supporters were also arrested this month, police said. Khan is protesting against alleged electoral irregularities in last year's polls. Most observers expect the military to play referee, to maintain security but not support action to force Sharif out. "Imran will not get from the army what he was expecting," said an analyst close to the military. "If there was any confusion earlier about whether the army would help Imran or rescue him or topple the government, there should be none now. There is no question of army intervention." (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld and Mehreen Zahra-Malik; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Robert Birsel) ======== Thu, Aug 14 13:58 PM EDT image 1 of 10 By Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters began a march to the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday, raising fears for political stability and civilian rule in the nuclear-armed South Asian country. Two protest groups - one led by cricketer-turned-opposition politician Imran Khan, the other by activist cleric Tahir ul-Qadri - are heading to the capital from the eastern city of Lahore. They say the government is corrupt and should step down. Both marches were initially banned, then allowed to go ahead at the last minute. The protesters caused huge traffic jams, and by evening the leaders and most marchers had not left Lahore. Reuters reporters in Lahore and Peshawar said tens of thousands of people were congregating for the marches. Khan and Qadri are not officially allied though both are enemies of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party swept an election last year. It was the first transfer of power from one elected government to another in the history of coup-prone Pakistan. Qadri is a Muslim preacher turned political activist who lives most of the time in Canada. His supporters, many from his network of Islamic schools and charities, have been involved in several deadly clashes with police. In Islamabad, security was tight. Main roads and key areas, including many embassies, were blocked by riot police and shipping containers. But the country's interior minister said the marchers would be allowed to enter. Qadri's spokesman said they planned to occupy Jinnah Avenue, the main street in the capital near many embassies and top government offices. Qadri has said he plans to force out Sharif and his government by the end of the month. "There will be a sit-in. They will stay there until their demands are met and (Sharif) steps down," Qadri told Reuters. The cleric's calls for revolution are appealing to poor Pakistanis struggling with high unemployment, daily power cuts and inflation. So are the promises he makes. "Every homeless person will be provided housing; every unemployed person will be given a job; low-paid people will be provided with daily necessities," Qadri said on Thursday. One of his main complaints is that violence against his supporters by police is not being properly investigated. About 2,000 of his supporters have been arrested, police say. ELECTION COMPLAINTS The political confrontation has revived concern about the central issue in Pakistani politics: competition for power between the military and civilian leaders. Some officials have accused elements within the powerful military of orchestrating the protests to weaken the civilian government. The military insists it does not meddle in politics. Most analysts doubt the military wants a coup, but a perception is widespread that it could exploit the protests to pressure the civilian government. Despite those perceptions, Sharif is relying on the military for security in the face of the challenges. Recently, policies that the armed forces object to, such as the treason trial of former military leader Pervez Musharraf, have ground to a halt. Imran Khan said he was cheated in the general election in May last year and wants a proper investigation into his complaints. His supporters were exuberant as they set off on the 370-km (230-mile) journey to Islamabad on Thursday, an Independence Day holiday in Pakistan. Khan traveled in a modified, bulletproof shipping container with windows. Many of his supporters carried sleeping mats and food, determined to camp on Islamabad streets until their demands were met - including a demand for Sharif to resign. "I was treated at his cancer hospital free of cost," said 50-year-old housewife Aasia Khan, referring to a charitable hospital that Khan set up in memory of his mother. "I owe him a lot and will support him until I die." Khan's political ambitions were dismissed for years, but he built up support, particularly among students. The one-time playboy cricket star developed a reputation as a conservative maverick and reformist. On Thursday, he challenged Sharif over tax evasion and the country's dependence on foreign donors. Most wealthy Pakistanis pay almost no tax, but the nation receives billions in aid. "The begging bowl will break only when you start paying taxes yourself," he said in a speech. Khan won 34 seats in the 342-seat lower house of parliament in the last election. Sharif's party won 190 seats. Qadri did not contest. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld, Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Syed Raza Hassan in Islamabad and Asim Tanveer in Multan; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Mark Heinrich) ====================================== Pakistan government splits protests, some march on capital, some blocked Thu, Aug 14 02:46 AM EDT image By Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters preparing to march on the Pakistani capital gathered in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday, buoyed by a last-minute court order that a peaceful march could go ahead and a government promise to obey the ruling. The festive air at the home of cricketer-turned-opposition politician Imran Khan was in stark contrast to the grim determination at the blockaded home of cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, another would-be protest leader whose march has been banned. Khan and Qadri are not officially allied though both are calling for the ouster of a government they condemn as corrupt, which came to power after a sweeping general election victory for the party of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last year. "We are the ones who pose the biggest challenge to the government, that is why they are opposing us so strongly," Qadri's spokesman, Shahid Mursaleen, said late on Wednesday. "The police are killing us and our people only have sticks to protect themselves." The protests have raised tension in the nuclear-armed country of 180-million people and have revived concern about the central issue in Pakistani politics: competition for power between the military and civilian leaders. Any threat to Pakistan's stability alarms its allies and neighbors, who fear rising religious intolerance and the Islamist militants who find refuge there. Some officials had accused elements within the powerful military of orchestrating the protests to weaken the civilian government. The military has declined to comment but has previously said it does not meddle in politics. Many analysts doubt whether the military wants to seize power, but there is a widespread perception it could use the opportunity to put the civilian government under its thumb. Sharif is relying on the military for security in the face of the challenges, and, as a result, the government is likely to be less determined to pursue polices the military objects to, such as the prosecution on treason charges of former military leader Pervez Musharraf, analysts say. DIVIDE AND RULE? By early on Thursday, the government appeared to have developed a strategy to blunt the challenge to its power with the contrasting approaches to the two marches neatly splitting its foes. Late on Wednesday, a court ruled that Khan's march would be permitted, as long as nothing illegal was done, and Sharif's interior minister said the government would respect that ruling. Allowing Khan's march demonstrated that the government tolerated peaceful protests and obeyed the courts, who are rapidly emerging as Pakistan's third power center after the military and the fledgling civilian government. At Khan's home, protesters were chanting, listening to music and preparing to set off on the 370-km (230-mile) journey form Lahore to Islamabad, said Asad Umar, a member of parliament from Khan's party. Khan is protesting about alleged irregularities in last year's polls, which marked the first transfer of power from one elected government to another in coup-prone Pakistan's history. As Khan's supporters prepared to march, Qadri's supporters, who had planned to join them, were isolated and blockaded in the area around his home by shipping containers placed across roads by the authorities. Those inside said food and water were running low and telephone services in the area were suspended. The fiery cleric had vowed to overthrow the government by the end of this month. His supporters, many of them drawn from his network of Islamic schools and charities, have been involved in several deadly clashes with police. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld and Syed Raza Hassan in Islamabad; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Robert Birsel)