Pakistan protesters set for showdown

Police fired tear gas on protesters in Islamabad on Tuesday as clashes erupted with followers of a cleric who led a march on the city demanding a peaceful “revolution” and the dissolution of parliament.

Thousands of supporters of Canadian-Pakistani cleric Tahir-ul Qadri converged on parliament after arriving in the capital overnight following a 38-hour march from the eastern city of Lahore.

The 61-year-old Qadri has given the elected government, whose five-year mandate ends in March, until 11am to dissolve parliament or face a “democratic revolution”.

As the deadline approached, a reporter saw police fire tear gas shells at the crowd, after protesters brandishing sticks pelted stones at police around 500 metres from parliament.

The reporter said demonstrators smashed vehicle windows as they continued their march and reached the edge of the capital’s “Red Zone”, which houses parliament and other key buildings.

Gunshots were heard though it was unclear who fired them. Both protesters and the authorities accused each other.