The rally is seen as the strongest challenge yet to the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
, just a year after he took office in the first democratic transfer of power in a country long plagued by military coups.
The protesters set out on Thursday morning from the city of Lahore in cars, trucks and buses, while others walked or drove cycle of violences as they embarked on the 300 kilometer (187 mile) journey to Islamabad. Initially 5,000 protesters were on the march, but the number steadily increased. The slow-moving convoy covered just five kilometers in seven hours.
The convoy is led by Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree...
, a famous cricketer-turned-politician who heads the Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
party, the third-largest in parliament. The demonstration was called to coincide with Pakistain's Independence Day.
"I am going to Islamabad to seek resignation from Nawaz Sharif," Khan told supporters in a speech Thursday evening.
"Get ready to win the match," said Khan, who is revered in Pakistain for leading the national team that won the 1992 cricket World Cup.
Sharif's ruling party has rejected Imran's demand, saying the elected democratic government would complete its term, which ends in 2018.
Thousands of coppers were deployed across Islamabad and along the convoy's route while the capital's entry points have been blocked since earlier this week with large shipping containers. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
...
Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle FesterSharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain
publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture...
told news hounds that the government had allowed peaceful rallies but that "anyone trying to disrupt peace would be dealt with an iron hand."
He said authorities had made arrangements to handle as many as one million people in Islamabad.
The protesters were moving slowly and were expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday, a day later than planned.
Khan's convoy got off to a colorful start in Lahore, with protesters dancing to the beat of drums and singing patriotic songs. Many women had the green and white of the Pak national flag painted on their cheeks, along with the red and green of Khan's party.