Revolution or coup - How will Pakistan's protests end?
Pakistan's anti-government protesters are on the move to Islamabad and are determined to overthrow Nawaz Sharif's government on corruption and electoral fraud allegations. Will Sharif succumb to the pressure and resign?
Moving ahead
On Thursday, August 14, thousands of anti-government protesters began to march on the Pakistani capital of Islamabad aiming to topple PM Nawaz Sharif's government. Their caravan is moving slowly, but gathering pace as it gets closer to the capital. Pakistani media has put the number of march participants at around 200,000.
Two rallies, one aim
Two rallies are moving side by side. One is being led by cricketer-turned-politician and head of the Movement for Justice (PTI) party, Imran Khan, and the other by Pakistani-Canadian Sunni cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri. The two politicians claim the May 2013 elections, in which PM Sharif's Muslim League party won a landslide victory, were rigged, and that the government is corrupt and incompetent.
Planned sit-in
The rallies are likely to culminate in a sit-in outside the parliament building on the eve of Friday, August 15, and continue for days as the protesters say they won't leave Islamabad until PM Sharif tenders his resignation. Experts have warned of impending violence during the planned sit-in.
Fear of violence and bloodshed
Khan told the media on Friday, August 15, that his vehicle had been shot at by members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party. There have been reports of clashes between the supporters of Khan and Sharif in several towns of the eastern Punjab province – a Sharif stronghold.
Frustration with traditional political parties
"Stay here until the revolution. This revolution heralds change. We want the rule of law in the country," Qadri told his supporters in the eastern city of Lahore. Experts say that many Pakistanis - frustrated with lawlessness, unemployment, frequent power outages and inflation in the country - are hoping for change. However, Qadri and Khan, they say, are using the situation to their advantage.
Who's pulling the strings?
Pakistan's army chief, General Raheel Sharif is considered the most powerful person in the nuclear-armed country with a history of military coups. A number of pro-democracy activists believe the protest rallies have the backing of Pakistan's ubiquitous army.
Islamabad sealed off
The Pakistani government has blocked all roads leading to Islamabad and deployed thousands of policemen and paramilitary forces to prevent the protesters from entering the capital.
Will Sharif resign?
PM Sharif won a landslide victory in the May 2013 parliamentary vote, but now he is under pressure from opposition groups to call it quits. His party members say the PM's resignation is "out of question." Analysts say that a prolonged sit-in or bloodshed in the capital might be the end of Sharif's rule. But if he emerges victorious, he is likely to finish his 5-year-term without any major problem.