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Version 2 Version 3
Militants Attack 2 Air Bases in Western Pakistan In a Downpour, a Pakistani Protest’s Peaceful Arrival
(about 9 hours later)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani security forces repulsed militant attacks on two military air bases in western Pakistan, setting off gun battles in which 10 militants were killed and several security officials were wounded, Pakistani officials said Friday. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Tens of thousands of opposition supporters, led by a former cricket star, Imran Khan, and a cleric, Muhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, converged on the Pakistani capital late Friday for what they billed as an extended protest movement to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The attacks Thursday night in Quetta, the capital of the restive province of Baluchistan, coincided with the start of a large street protest aimed at toppling Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a demonstration that continued on Friday. The two cavalcades, which were loosely allied but operated separately, arrived in Islamabad in the pouring rain, at the end of a slow and occasionally violent journey across Punjab Province.
Clashes erupted on Friday afternoon between Mr. Sharif’s supporters and those of Imran Khan, the cricket star turned opposition politician who is leading the protest march, as the procession passed through Punjab Province on its way to Islamabad. Mr. Khan’s supporters clashed with pro-government activists as they passed through the city of Gujranwala; both sides threw stones and accused the other of starting the trouble. But the peaceful arrival of the protesters in Islamabad was a relief after weeks of political tension and speculation that new turmoil could tempt the military to intervene.
Rival supporters threw stones at one another in the town of Gujranwala, and Mr. Khan’s party claimed that his vehicle had been hit by gunshots, although the police and some reporters on the scene said there was no evidence of gunfire. The protests are the most potent threat yet to Mr. Sharif’s 14-month-old government, which has also been dogged by tensions with the military high command. Mr. Khan hopes that, by bringing a large crowd into central Islamabad, he can force Mr. Sharif, whom he accuses of vote rigging, to resign and hold new elections.
As the street clashes unfolded, the violence in Baluchistan offered fresh evidence of the country’s ongoing security threat. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks. But the crowds that followed Mr. Khan into the capital on Friday fell far short of predictions of a “million man march,” and bad weather further dampened the atmosphere. Mr. Khan’s senior lieutenants warned the government against employing tactics of intimidation against them.
“You are playing with fire,” said Jahangir Tareen, a senior leader, during a news conference on Friday afternoon, addressing Mr. Sharif. “We are peaceful but it is not our weakness.”
Mass street movements are an integral part of democratic politics in Pakistan, often used by opposition politicians to press their demands. But Mr. Khan’s crusade has been met with sharp criticism in the news media in recent weeks from Pakistanis who say his demands are exaggerated, especially at a time of pressing security challenges.
Those challenges were underlined on Thursday when militants attacked two military air bases in the western city of Quetta, setting off battles in which 10 militants were killed and several security officers were wounded, officials said Friday.
The military said that its soldiers successfully repelled the assailants before they could penetrate the base defenses, and that they had captured three militants. A Taliban faction claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We have carried out the attacks to avenge the killing of innocent civilians during the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the faction, said by telephone, referring to a military operation in the tribal belt that started in June.“We have carried out the attacks to avenge the killing of innocent civilians during the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the faction, said by telephone, referring to a military operation in the tribal belt that started in June.
Earlier, a spokesman for an apparently different Taliban faction also claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, a spokesman for an apparently different Taliban faction also claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta, which is the capital of Baluchistan Province.
Mr. Ehsan claimed the Taliban had killed 35 security personnel and destroyed two airplanes. But a military spokesman said that the attackers had failed to penetrate the perimeter of the bases and that both were “fully functional and open” on Friday. Mr. Ehsan claimed that the Taliban had killed 35 security personnel and destroyed two airplanes. But a military spokesman said that the attackers had failed to penetrate the perimeter of the bases and that both were “fully functional and open” on Friday.
It was the third such attack on an air facility in Pakistan since May, when Islamist militants twice attacked the airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. Hours before the assault, Mr. Sharif and the army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, who is not related to the prime minister, had flown into Baluchistan to open a renovated historic building that had been burned by Baluch separatists last year.
Military officials said that militants, firing guns and throwing grenades, first attacked the Samungli air base on the edge of Quetta’s main civilian airport. They were met with heavy return fire from base guards and were unable to break through the external perimeter, the officials said. Three attackers were captured, they said. The joint appearance of the two men dampened speculation of a dangerous rift between Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders. Mr. Sharif has been at loggerheads with the military over several issues in recent months, especially the treason trial of the former military leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
An hour later, a second group of attackers struck the Khalid army aviation base, which is on the far side of Quetta. All of the attackers, described as suicide bombers, were killed in a gun battle that lasted several hours. Their bodies were in the custody of the security forces, according to a military spokesman. Fears of a coup on the part of Mr. Sharif’s supporters were heightened by the arrival of Mr. Qadri, the cleric, who is seen as being close to the military, and who also tried to oust the previous government. But there is little sign that the military wants to seize power directly, although it could use the crisis to increase its political influence.
The attacks took place during Pakistan’s annual Independence Day celebrations. Hours earlier, Mr. Sharif and the army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, who is not related to the prime minister, visited Baluchistan Province to inaugurate a historic building that was burned by Baluch separatists last year. On Friday night, Mr. Khan’s supporters set up camp on a highway on the edge of the city and waited for their leader to address them. Many appeared to be exhausted by the long journey, which had taken over 24 hours.
In a statement on Friday, General Sharif said the attacks were a sign that “terrorists are on the run and making desperate attempts to cause damage to Pakistan.” The strength of the protests is likely to become clear over the weekend, once the crowds reach full strength and the two protest leaders address their followers. Mr. Qadri’s team said he would speak at midday on Saturday to demand Mr. Sharif’s immediate arrest and the installation of a new government led by technocrats.
Mr. Sharif, meanwhile, faces an imminent political threat from the protest movement led by Mr. Khan, who accuses him of gaining power through election fraud. Once he reaches Islamabad, Mr. Khan has vowed to hold a sit-in until Mr. Sharif resigns and hold a fresh election. Mr. Sharif’s government has tried to appear strong in the face of the street agitation. After initially banning the protests, it said they could go ahead, but not in the symbolically important space before the national Parliament.
He is joined by a second group of allied protesters, led by a firebrand preacher, Muhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, who is making similar demands. Both cavalcades were moving slowly along the colonial-era Grand Trunk Road, which connects major cities in the country’s north, in an attempt to attract more people on the way. They were expected to reach Islamabad by Friday evening. Any attempt by protesters to move toward Parliament could set off violent clashes with the police.
The clashes along the route raised fears that more violence could engulf the previously peaceful protest.
The police resorted to baton charges to disperse angry supporters of Mr. Sharif and Mr. Khan. Local television news channels broadcast images of Sharif supporters throwing stones and shoes at Mr. Khan’s cavalcade. Several leaders of Mr. Khan’s party, who were standing atop a truck, were seen ducking for cover.
“If anything happens to me, there will be violence,” Mr. Khan warned. “We will post images of violence against us on Twitter.”
Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab Province and the younger brother of the prime minister, has urged their supporters to remain peaceful.
The government says that only peaceful demonstrations will be allowed in the capital and that the protesters will not be allowed to reach Parliament or other major government buildings.