Expansion of Anti-Government Protests in Pakistan and Army's Silence

Anti-government protests by Islamists continued in Pakistan on Sunday, while the army maintained silence in response to the government's request for intervention. According to AFP, nearly 5,000 people blocked the roads from Islamabad to Rawalpindi on Sunday, more than double the number from Saturday. On Saturday, police clashed with protesters in an attempt to disperse them, resulting in at least six deaths and around 200 injuries. Meanwhile, at least 4,750 people protested in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, on Sunday, up from 200 on Saturday. In Lahore, about 3,400 blocked major roads. Reports indicate that protests have spread to other cities in Pakistan. AFP notes that although the number of protesters is small by Pakistani standards, their rapid expansion is significant. Supporters of the newly established and radical party 'Tehreek-e-Labbaik' have blocked the main roads to the capital for the past two weeks. This party has accused Pakistan's law minister of insulting Islamic sanctities and is demanding his removal and arrest. On Saturday, these individuals resisted police forces, leading to bloody clashes. The Pakistani interior minister stated on Saturday that supporters of this party have been used by those seeking chaos and to weaken the government of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. He did not specify who is behind these protests. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is from the Pakistan Muslim League and is a political ally of the ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was removed from office this summer by the Supreme Court on corruption charges. He had previously been ousted in 1999 by General Pervez Musharraf's coup. While the Pakistani government requested the army's intervention on Saturday to control the situation, the army has yet to respond to this request, and no signs of military street movements in Pakistan have been observed. The Pakistani army has directly ruled the country for almost half of its seventy-year history. On Sunday, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah party, which is a radical and newly established party, again demanded the resignation of the law minister. Khadim Hussain Rizvi also called for the trial of Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on terrorism charges. The party leader urged the public to strike on Monday and emphasized that his party would actively participate in the elections next summer. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik party has attacked Law Minister Zahid Hamid for changes to the election law. Previously, the election law included the phrase 'I swear that Muhammad is the last prophet of God,' but this phrase was changed to 'I believe...'. Although the government restored this phrase to its original form, protests continued. In this context, the Pakistani government has called for military intervention to confront the protesters. The White House has warned Pakistan about the consequences of releasing the founder of 'Lashkar-e-Taiba.'