Cleric Qadri fires up Pakistanis, asks govt to quit

TNN Jan 15, 2013, 02.39PM IST

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of anti-government protesters heeding the call of a firebrand cleric rallied in the streets of the Pakistani capital on Tuesday for a second day despite early morning clashes with police who launched tear gas and fired shots into the air to push back stone-throwing demonstrators.

The protest called by Tahir-ul-Qadri, who has rocketed to national prominence after his return from Canada late last year, has galvanized many Pakistanis who say the current government has brought them only misery. But critics fear that Qadri and his demands for election reforms may derail the country's upcoming democratic elections, possibly at the behest of the country's powerful military.