Islamabad - The government of Pakistan authorized the deployment of the military as ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan leads a protest caravan into the capital.

The troops were called in to protect its headquarters in Islamabad in the early hours of Thursday, as thousands of protesters loyal to former PM Imran Khan took to the streets. Khan marched on the capital on Wednesday to demand the “imported government” call early elections.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah tweeted out that the army will be deployed to protect “important government buildings” under Article 245 of the Pakistani Constitution.

“Among the buildings that will be protected are the Supreme Court, Parliament House, Prime Minister House, Presidency, Pakistan Secretariat and Diplomatic enclaves,” he said in the notification.

Videos posted on social media by Khan’s PTI (Pakistan Movement for Justice) party showed him at the head of a caravan of cars, entering Islamabad to cheers from the crowd. Khan on Wednesday, while still 50 kilometers away from Islamabad, called on his supporters to assemble in D-Chowk and not vacate the square until the “imported government” announces new elections.

The former PM called on “all Pakistanis” to take to the streets, saying their presence would “send a message across Pakistan that the nation has rejected this imported government.”

The former cricket star turned-politician was ousted in a no-confidence vote in early April. He was replaced with Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League, the brother of former PM Nawaz Sharif.
-RT