Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s opposition leader Imran Khan on Sunday forced their way into the high-security Red Zone after the cricketer-turned- 
politician asked them to get ready for the final match against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was given a 48-hour ultimatum to resign by cleric Tahir-ul Qadri
Undeterred by inclement weather and low turnouts, supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) led by Khan and the Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) headed by Qadri continued their protests for a fourth day running.
Stick wielding PTI protesters hit containers and removed barbed wire blocking their way to the “Red Zone” where Parliament, the President and Prime Minister’s residences and foreign embassies are located.
Policemen took up positions above and around the shipping containers placed to block protesters.
Some security personnel were also seen on the run after PTI supporters charged towards them.
Both Khan and Qadri have so far stood firm on the one demand that remains off the negotiating table with the PML-N led government -that Prime Minister Sharif step down to make way for a new government, a new system.
Khan, who led Pakistan to the World Cup victory in 1992, had earlier warned the PML-N government that his supporters could enter the Red Zone here if Sharif, who has been in power for over an year, refuses to quit.
Khan said that a final match would be played today and it will be a decisive day in the history of Pakistan.
“Ppl know NS (Sharif) along with ROs (Returning Officers) & caretakers were all involved in 2013 electoral match fixing. They will not accept it,” the cricketer-turned-politician tweeted.
In the 2013 general elections, Sharif had won by a landslide, taking 190 out of 342 seats.
Khan’s PTI got 34 seats, the third largest bloc in the legislature. But he claimed his party should have had many more seats.
“Nawaz Sharif should resign as ppl have given their verdict on fraudulent elections by coming out in huge nos 4 PTI Tsunami,” he said.
“With fraudulent mandate, NS has expanded family business, increased debt burden on nation & lived like an oil sheikh on taxpayer money,” he said in the tweet.
Both Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Qadri are camping at different venues in the capital.
They started separate rallies from Lahore on Thursday and reached in the national capital yesterday.
Khan warned that unless their demands are not met within a certain time period, ‘tsunami’ of his supporters would cross into the Red Zone and protest in front of Parliament.