In rain-soaked protest, cleric demands resignation of Pakistan's president

B.K. Bangash / AP

Pakistani Sunni cleric Tahirul Qadri addresses a rally from a bullet-proof container, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Jan. 17.

Asif Hassan / AFP - Getty Images

Supporters of Pakistani cleric Tahirul Qadri chant slogans at a protest rally in Islamabad on Jan. 17.

B.K. Bangash / AP

Supporters of Pakistani Sunni cleric Tahirul Qadri, celebrate the deadline that Qadri gave to the government for negotiation during a rally in Islamabad.

Zohra Bensemra / Reuters

A supporter of Sufi cleric and leader of Tahirul Qadri leans against a container blocking a road to prevent them from reaching the parliament building during the fourth day of protests in Islamabad on Jan. 17.

Muhammad Tahirul Qadri is calling for the immediate resignation of Pakistan's president and cabinet and the installation of a caretaker administration in the run-up to elections due in the next few months.

Qadri issued what he called a final warning to the government as supporters listened to his latest speech during heavy rain in the heart of the capital.

"Now I give an ultimatum that the president and his team must come for dialogue in one and a half hours and it's the last peaceful offer to them," said Qadri, who returned home from Canada a few weeks ago and became a media sensation with calls for a new political landscape. Continue reading complete article.

-- Reuters

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