ISLAMABAD (AP) – A fiery anti-government cleric says he has ended his 65-day long sit-in protest in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
Tahirul Qadri announced Tuesday he will now tour major Pakistani cities holding sit-ins and agitating for the launch of a “revolution of the poor.”
Qadri and famed cricket star turned politician Imran Khan led tens of thousands of marchers from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital on August 14 – Pakistan’s Independence Day.
For months, they have camped out in front of the parliament building, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who they accuse of vote fraud.
Khan maintains he will not end his protest until Sharif resigns. Qadri, despite ending his Islamabad protest, has refuted claims he struck some sort of compromise deal with Sharif’s government.