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Thousands of demonstrators marched towards Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad from the city of Lahore on Thursday to try and unseat the government, alleging that it was elected by fraud.
Proponents of Imran Khan, former cricketer and Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and preacher Tahir-ul-Qadri amassed separately in Lahore and began their 300-kilometer march to the capital. Both Qadri and Khan allege that the general elections held in May 2013 were rigged, and want Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign and the country to hold new polls.
Both groups travelled in motorized convoys to the capital on Pakistan’s Independence Day but made slow progress leaving the city of Lahore.
The Pakistani authorities earlier insisted that Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) march will not be allowed, but relented in the afternoon. The PTI party was earlier given authorization for the Azadi march.
Authorities have accused the organizers of the march of trying to thwart democracy, while Sharif has said that the march was a distraction from urgent issues.
Pakistan is presently conducting a military offensive against the Taliban’s hideouts in the northwest while also trying to improve its economy and solve a power crisis.
“This is the real Azadi March, taking place here, both civil and military leadership is together here and celebrating Pakistan’s Independence Day, what can be a bigger march than this?” Sharif said.
Sharif was speaking at a ceremony to re-open a house which was once opened by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father. Pakistani army Chief General Raheel Sharif was also at the ceremony, in a show of solidarity.
Neither of the marches are likely to reach the Pakistani capital by evening or even on Friday, and it is still unclear if they will be let into the heavily-guarded city, where security has been increased greatly in the past few days.