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Thousands Gather in Pakistan, Seeking End to Imran Khan's Government

Ayesha Tanzeem

   LAHORE, PAKISTAN - The president of an alliance of opposition parties
   in Pakistan warned of a confrontation between the public and the
   military if the military decided to stop them from reaching the
   capital, Islamabad, to bring down the current government.

   "Get out of the way of the people," he said, adding that he foresaw
   anarchy if the status quo continued.

   Maulana Fazlur Rehman was in Lahore on Sunday, addressing a rally of
   the Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance of 11 opposition parties
   seeking to bring down the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The
   PDM announced it would march on the capital if Khan did not resign by
   end of January.

   Rehman, the leader of an Islamist political party called Jamiat e Ulema
   e Islam, has been a critic of the current government since it was
   elected in 2018. His efforts to build an opposition alliance faced
   roadblocks until the formation of the PDM this past September.

   Tens of thousands gathered for the rally from across the country in
   Pakistan's second-largest city, which is considered a trendsetter in
   Pakistani politics.

   The idea of creating Pakistan out of British India was first presented
   in Lahore in 1940. In 1967, one of the country's largest political
   parties, the Pakistan People's Party, was formed in the same city. The
   current ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf, emerged as a
   mainstream national party after a successful rally in Lahore in 2011.

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