Pakistan: Imran Khan's look-alike big draw at 'Azadi March'

Islamabad: Opposition leader Imran Khan is the man of the hour for thousands of his supporters here but those unable to access him can get themselves clicked with his look-alike who has been a big draw at the protest. [caption id=“attachment_1671579” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Cricketer-turne-politician Imran Khan. PTI[/caption] Jamal Shah, a lecturer of English at a private college in Nowshera in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, has been part of Khan’s ‘Azadi March’ that aims to oust Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Shah, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the 61-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, has been a major attraction at the protest, drawing large crowds of fans around him. “Wherever I go I earn lavish praise from people who take me for Imran Khan… all the love they have for him they heap on me,” Shah was quoted as saying by Dawn News. Khan and cleric Tahirul Qadri had separately launched protests from eastern city of Lahore on Thursday to dislodge the 15-month old Sharif government and have been camping in the capital since Saturday with thousands of their supporters. Khan is protesting alleged vote rigging in polls last year and is demanding Sharif’s resignation and holding of fresh polls. In the polls last year, Sharif’s PML-N had won 190 out of 342 seats. Khan’s PTI got 34 seats, the third largest bloc in the legislature. Khan has claimed that his party should have won many more seats but for the vote-rigging by Sharif’s PML-N. The political instability comes at a time when Pakistan is waging a war against militants - particularly in the restive tribal regions along its border with Afghanistan. PTI