Islamists vow to continue protest
A Pakistani Islamist leader who led thousands of supporters into the capital and demanded Imran Khan’s resignation vowed to continue his protest Monday, after the prime minister ignored his 48-hour deadline.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a firebrand cleric who heads one of the country’s largest Islamist parties, has accused Khan of taking power last year with the help of the military. Khan and the military have denied the accusations, which have swirled since the July 2018 election.
But Rehman, a long-time rival of Khan, launched days of protest culminating in his arrival in Islamabad late Thursday at the head of tens of thousands of supporters, all calling for Khan to resign. On Friday, he announced he was giving the government 48 hours to step down.
The leaders of Pakistan’s two largest opposition parties both also addressed the protesters, echoing many of Rehman’s claims. But the deadline came and went, with the government remaining intact.
Though Rehman’s supporters remained enthusiastic, the other opposition parties did not mobilise their supporters in large numbers, and their leaders left Islamabad even as Rehman remained.
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