Pakistan’s ousted top minister Imran Khan has urged his supporters to gather in the heart of Islamabad, defying a court order, as he appears to be pressurizing the authorities to hold early elections.
Amid clashes between protesters and security forces last night, the government has called in the army to protect their homes in the capital. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has urged Pakistanis to reject sit-ins, which could contribute to substantial financial losses.
Talks with the International Monetary Fund regarding resuming loan applications remained inconclusive on Wednesday. Pakistan’s record is likely to miss a second time even though the IMF said discussions turned into “massive progress”.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has urged the United States to reject the “hateful politics” of sit-ins, which have led to substantial financial losses, noting the surrounding media.
Sharif started the 2014 sit-in under pressure to postpone Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the USA using Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ceremony.
Khan visits Democracy Chowk with supporters (5:09 am)
Imran Khan and his caravan are currently going to Democracy Chowk, a large rectangle located within the government district, near the top minister’s office, which houses the Parliament and the Adarsh Court Room.
Pakistan calls navy to Islamabad (2:05 am)
Heeding a notification, Pakistan’s management, with the help of access to the Ministry of the Interior, ordered sufficient naval troops in Islamabad to guard the homes of important officials.
Khan reaches Islamabad and asks supporters to reach the capital’s centre (12:30 am).
The former prime minister’s convoy reached Islamabad. It was asked to deposit near the parliament building for supporters, in violation of a court order that allowed the simplest protest on the capital’s outskirts. Khan plans to have the barricades removed to get into the city.
Security forces clashed with supporters, and tear gas shells were used to disperse the crowd.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said that the ongoing talks on the bailout deal are old (11:34 pm)
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the ongoing bailout deal between Pakistan and the IMF has become obsolete because of global crises.
He told Reuters on the sidelines of Davos that the IMF deal “is no longer entirely grounded in reality, and the context has changed since the deal went into negotiations.”
IMF and Pakistan to continue talks (10:34 pm)
The IMF said that the International Monetary Fund would continue its dialogue with Pakistan after making “massive progress” during the week-long venture that ended on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said that the government plans to agree with the lender at the cutting edge of talks.
