Pak PM Sharif to address nation ahead of anti-govt protests

Islamabad: Ahead of two massive anti-government rallies on 14 August, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will address the people and take them into confidence over his administration’s strategy on opposition protests. [caption id=“attachment_1660773” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.[/caption] The decision to directly talk to the people was taken on Monday at a consultative meeting of Sharif with senior party leaders at his Raiwind estate near Lahore. The televised address will be delivered this evening, less than 48 hours ahead of a joint protest by Canada-based Pakistani cleric Tahirul Qadri and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. According to a senior leader of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Prime Minister will highlight his achievement during one year of rule and ask the people to reject the politics of protests. He will also offer an olive branch to Khan over his complaints about rigging of last year’s elections. The leader also said the PML-N meeting in Raiwind decided to contain Qadri at his Model Town residence in Lahore but Khan will be allowed to lead his march. Both Qadri and Khan are pursuing different objectives but have announced to bring hundreds and thousands of people to Islamabad to topple the government. Qadri wants to bring a “revolution” while Khan wants snap polls through a reformed election commission to eliminate chances of electoral fraud. PTI