Pakistani lawmakers have given their support to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as thousands of protesters continue to demand his resignation.
Leaders of several major political parties proclaimed their support for Sharif at a special parliamentary session on September 2, insisting he should not give in to pressure to quit.
Sharif has resisted calls to resign, but protest leaders Imran Khan and Tahir ul-Qadri refuse to back down.
Earlier on September 2, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan asked lawmakers to give police "clear guidance" to treat violent antigovernment protesters in Islamabad as “intruders and terrorists.”
He said the demonstrators have attempted a "rebellion against the state" after three days of clashes with police.
Three protesters were killed in clashes with police that erupted on August 30 when demonstrators tried to storm Sharif’s official residence.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP
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