Imran, Qadri begin march demanding Sharif's ouster

They want an early election little over a year after his landslide victory in the polls

Thousands of protesters, demanding the ouster of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over alleged vote rigging, today began their march to the capital from Lahore, deepening fears of political instability and army's intervention in the coup-prone country.

On a day Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day, two anti-government groups, encouraged by a last-minute court verdict allowing peaceful demonstrations, set off on a 370-km journey to the country's capital, which has been turned into a fortress, with the army guarding key government installations.

Led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and Canada-based cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, the two groups of agitators, plan to converge on Islamabad to press Sharif to call an early election little over a year after his landslide victory in the polls.