Karachi: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s political allies on Friday launched anti-sit-in marches in this mega city to counter the week-long protests of Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri, which paralysed Islamabad, the capital.
Hundreds of supporters of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, an influential cleric who has a strong political base and parliamentary mandate, marched on M. A. Jinnah Road waving black and white striped flags of the party and chanting slogans against Imran and Qadri for their sit-in against the government.
“Murder of democracy is not acceptable,” one placard read, while another denounced Imran and Qadri as “the enemy of Islam and Pakistan.”
The protesters marched and held the rally outside the Karachi Press Club.
Fazlur Rahman, the JUI chief, in a conversation with a television channel suggested that the government must defuse the tension to give a respectable exit to Imran, who reached a point of no return by demanding the resignation of Sharif as a precondition for holding dialogue with the government.
“The prime minister would not resign nor the parliament would be dissolved even if he continues his sit-in for a year,” Rahman said.
“However, to secure his self-respect, some way should be found to defuse the tension and to begin the political dialogues,” said the JUI chief, who is known for his judicious political acumen in Pakistani politics.
He also ruled out the possibility of military intervention or rule as a result of the political standoff saying the vested interests were just spreading misinformation.
He further said that the politics of the protests and the sit-in was damaging the country. He said that it was beyond comprehension why the protesting leaders have refrained from holding negotiations with the government but were staunch supporters of talks with the Taliban.
Pakistan’s main political parties were gearing up to break the deadlock between Imran, Qadri and the government. Former president Asif Ali Zardari was also expected to hold a meeting with Sharif.
Pakistan’s National Assembly, or the lower house of the parliament, on Thursday rejected Imran’s calls for Sharif’s resignation. Lawyers all across the country also held meetings and rallies to condemn the ongoing sit-in of Imran and Qadri.
