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Rally Planned For Islamabad's 'Red Zone'


Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan addresses supporters during a protest march against the country's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on August 18.
Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan addresses supporters during a protest march against the country's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on August 18.

Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan has announced he will lead protesters into the capital's high-security "Red Zone" on August 19, as his 48-hour deadline for the government to step down ends.

Former cricket star Khan made the announcement at a rally in Islamabad on August 18, calling for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down over alleged voting fraud in 2013 elections.

Meanwhile, Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf (PTI) party decided to resign all its seats in the country's national assembly.

Khan has rallied with thousands of supporters in Islamabad in recent days, but the protest failed to attract the vast crowds the politician had promised, and other opposition parties on August 18 distanced themselves from his appeal for civil disobedience.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said no one would be allowed to enter Islamabad's "Red Zone," which houses parliament, government buildings, as well as the presidential and prime ministerial palaces.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
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