Paramilitary troops have been called out in Pakistan's Punjab province to maintain order after street protests by supporters of former PM Nawaz Sharif. Demonstrators are blocking roads by making bonfires in many places and raising slogans against the government.
Legislators of Mr Sharif's PML-N party are sitting on the stairs of the Punjab assembly after their entry was blocked. The protests are against Wednesday's court order banning Mr Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz, from elected office.
Mr Sharif's PML-N holds power in Punjab province where his brother was chief minister but has now been forced to step down. Nawaz Sharif has accused President Asif Ali Zardari of being behind the ban.
Correspondents say the court order is expected to deepen the rift between the Sharifs and the federal government and increase the chances of political instability in the country. |