Mob breaches Pakistan's government zone

Supporters of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan dance on the lyrics of a song in Khan's support, during a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Khan on Monday announced to lead thousands of anti-government protesters into the high security Red Zone as his 48 hours deadline for government to step down ending Tuesday.
Supporters of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan dance on the lyrics of a song in Khan's support, during a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Khan on Monday announced to lead thousands of anti-government protesters into the high security Red Zone as his 48 hours deadline for government to step down ending Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD -- Tens of thousands of protesters armed with wire cutters and backed by cranes broke through barriers protecting Pakistan's Parliament and other government buildings Tuesday night, demanding the country's prime minister resign.

Government authorities had warned they would not allow protesters to enter Islamabad's "Red Zone," but the demonstrators met no immediate resistance from police or the hundreds of troops guarding the buildings.

Wearing masks and carrying makeshift shields, they hammered through barbed wire and locks connecting shipping containers that had been erected as a barrier around the zone, which also holds the president's and prime minister's ceremonial homes and many diplomatic posts.

Demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, they shouted, "Go, Nawaz, go." Excited young men and women made V-for-victory signs.

A government minister, Saad Rafiq, said the prime minister allowed the protesters to enter the sensitive area to avoid bloodshed.

The Pakistani army warned the protesters against entering the Parliament building or any other installation. It called on all sides to resolve the situation through discussion.

Men, women and children took part in the protest by some 30,000 supporters of opposition candidate Imran Khan and anti-government cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri.

Both men have called on Sharif to step down over allegations of fraud in last year's election. Sharif has refused and ordered the soldiers into the streets, the first military deployment in the capital since Pakistan has been under civilian leadership.

Authorities previously said they would not allow protesters to enter the Red Zone, though protesters met no immediate resistance Tuesday night.

Two Pakistani security officials said 700 troops had been deployed to guard the Red Zone. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about troop movements. Another 30,000 members of the country's security forces also were in the area, authorities said.

Authorities pleaded for calm ahead of the march, then later warned of possible bloodshed.

"They want blood. They want dead bodies. That's their politics," Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said. "If anything happen, the protesters will be held responsible."

The demonstrators have camped out in Islamabad in two rallies since last week. Khan and Qadri have vowed to keep up the sit-ins until Sharif resigns.

Khan said Tuesday that his supporters would make a "Tahrir Square" outside the Parliament building, referring to the famed square in Egypt that saw mass protests in 2011.

"Let us promise that we will remain peaceful," Qadri asked his followers.

Khan told his supporters: "No one will trespass into any building."

Khan's Tehrik-e-Insaf party has alleged that Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N rigged last year's elections. Sharif has agreed to set up a judicial commission to probe the allegation but has refused to step down.

Khan has said he won't go home without Sharif's resignation.

The standoff has raised fears of political instability in this nuclear-armed country of 180 million, which has largely been ruled by dictators since its independence in 1947. Both opposition leaders picked Pakistan's independence day to begin their marches.

Sharif, himself overthrown in the 1999 coup that put former army chief Pervez Musharraf in power, has been meeting with top advisers ahead of the rally.

Relations between Sharif and the military frayed when the government decided late last year to prosecute Musharraf for high treason. The military also has bristled at accusations that its powerful spy chief was behind the assassination attempt on a television anchorman.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Marie Harf said: "We urge all sides to refrain from violence, exercise restraint and respect the rule of law."

The Islamabad rallies come as Pakistan's military is waging an operation against militants in areas bordering Afghanistan. The military said it carried out multiple airstrikes Tuesday in the Khyber and North Wazristan regions that killed 48 militants.

Pakistan's tribal regions are off-limits to journalists, so the airstrikes could not be independently verified.

Also Tuesday, a roadside bomb struck a school van carrying children and teachers in Khar, the main town in the northwestern tribal region of Bajur, killing five people, a government administrator said.

Information for this article was contributed by Anwarullah Khan, Munir Ahmed and Matthew Lee of The Associated Press.

A Section on 08/20/2014

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