JUI-F chief hints at prolonging protest sit-in.

Byline: Kalbe Ali

ISLAMABAD -- A tense calm hangs over Islamabad as the 48-hour ultimatum given by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to the prime minister for his resignation ends on Sunday evening (today), with the law enforcement personnel gearing up to meet any eventuality in case the protesters camping at the designated H-9 venue violate the agreement.

While the Maulana on Saturday hinted that there was no immediate plan to enter the Red Zone, he also made it clear that the protesters did not intend to return either until PM Imran Khan stepped down.

'Our people want to go ahead but D-Chowk is not our destination. This is a movement and it will continue. There is no timeline,' the JUI-F chief said while speaking to the gathering on the third day of the anti-government protest in Islamabad.

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He hinted at prolonging the sit-in, claiming that more caravans were on their way from different parts of the country as they were expected to join the protesters in Islamabad on Sunday.

'How can we call off the protest, when people are still pouring in?' the JUI-F chief said while taking a commitment from the participants that they would abide by the decision taken by their leadership that had 'actually' brought them to the venue.

Describing Imran's government as a 'security risk', the Maulana asked the rulers to step down without 'testing our patience'.

'We will remain in the arena until we get rid of the government,' he said.

The JUI-F chief explained: 'Our history is full of movements We have to take a decision by tomorrow or day after tomorrow.' He said that he would be weighing options to shift from this place to another ground, from there to another ground and then to the next ground until they got rid of the 'illegitimate government'.

The Maulana said: 'They (the rulers) should have the belief that their writ on Pakistan has ended. You are no more the rulers of Pakistan. The writ is in our hand. We will now run the country. We will run the country peacefully. We will develop this country. We will restore the economy ... this country does not belong to you anymore.'

He praised the participants for maintaining 'complete discipline' during the...