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Tahir-ul-qadri gives final ultimatum to Pak government

Islamabad: Thousands of protesters led by Canada-returned cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, rallied in Islamabad, giving the government time till tonight to quit and dissolve the national and provincial assemblies to pave the way for electoral reforms.

In a rambling three-hour speech loaded with religious imagery, Qadri repeatedly attacked politicians of both the ruling and opposition parties.

At one stage, he urged his supporters to be ready to disrobe corrupt leaders and expose their “tattoos”.

He incited officials to defy the government, saying it would be removed in a day or two.

Though this is the largest demonstration in Islamabad in several years, TV anchors dismissed the cleric’s claim and quoted authorities as saying that 25,000 to 50,000 people were at the protest.

As Qadri on Wednesday urged Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan to join his protest, footage on television showed large gaps in the crowd listening to the cleric.

He also said his followers should be prepared for a crackdown by authorities.

“Our chests are ready for your bullets…The first shot should be fired at me and not my followers,” Qadri said, sitting inside his special bulletproof container.

Qadri’s supporters have set up tents on Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad’s main boulevard that runs from the presidency to the commercial district of Blue Area, and brought in stocks of food and firewood.

The entire area was covered with litter.  The sudden re-emergence of the cleric months ahead of Pakistan’s general election has triggered fears in political circles that he is acting as a front for the military to delay the polls and prolong the duration of a caretaker administration.

However, Qadri said he had no interest in heading an interim administration as he was the “caretaker of the nation and of 180 million people”.

The timing of the apex court’s order to arrest the premier fuelled speculation about a judicial-

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