Imran Khan wants to head into Islamabad’s Red Zone and Tahirul Qadri has called for a session of what he called the people’s parliament later in the evening.

The developments come as the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) announced that its lawmakers are set to resign from all assemblies except the one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the party leads the government.

So will the people’s parliament hold its session today? And will Imran march into the Red Zone? Where will all of this lead?

Follow our updates from the day’s political happenings.

Red Zone orders: Use rubber bullets, teargas and 'lathi charge'

Police deputed in Islamabad's Red zone area were authorised to use force against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protesters staging their Azadi March in the federal capital, according to the copy of a document available with Dawn.

The document, signed by a Supervisory Officer at the spot, allowed the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and lathi (baton) charge against the protesters if they entered the Red Zone.

Visuals and TV footage showed policemen and women, other security agency personnel (FC and Rangers) standing at the ready in riot gear.

Security in the Red Zone has been divided into three tiers with policemen deputed on the front-lines, other law enforcers (FC and Rangers) as the second tier, while army troops have been deployed in the third tier to protect key installations.

Additional containers were also placed on Constitution Avenue on routes leading to the Parliament and Secretariat.

Red Zone's security handed over to Pakistan Army: Nisar

As Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) protesters perisisted with their threats to march to Constitution Avenue, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday evening announced that the Pakistan Army has been given the responsibility of securing the federal capital’s sensitive Red Zone area.

"The constitution allows the army to be deployed under Articles 131 and 245 if there is a situation pertaining to internal security. We have not the called army against any political party… [it is] to protect the Red Zone which we have international obligations to fulfill. It [the army] is undertaking a constitutional internal security responsibility," Nisar said during a press conference here.

He also said that consulates had expressed fears to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so MOFA had briefed them about the situation. "We told them the situation is under control. The deployment of army troops is a result of this."

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has confirmed the development through a statement to the media.

"Contingents of Army have been deployed for the security of Red Zone," said the statement.

Army not orchestrating political crisis: Nisar

He dismissed speculations that the Pakistan Army was behind the whole long mach fiasco.

“I want to say this with full responsibility; the Pakistan Army is not behind this game," he said.

The minister said that after meeting with the armed forces and the law enforcing agencies for hours, it has been decided that security of the federal capital will be divide into three tiers.

“The Army will firstly guard vital installations, and other than that there will be deployment that I will not explain in detail,” said the interior minister.

"The Constitution allows the Army to be deployed under Article 131 and 245 if there is an internal threat pertaining to security ... We have not called the Army against any political party… [it is] to protect the Red Zone which we have international obligations to fulfill. It [the army] is undertaking a constitutional internal security responsibility."

'Imran not honouring promise to stay out of Red Zone'

The minister also lashed out at PTI chief Imran Khan for not honouring his promise to stay out of the federal capital’s Red Zone area. He said that Khan sent a personal message via text to him and gave his word that he will not move into the Red Zone.

“In response, I said without a moment’s hesitation and without consulting anybody that I will give this permission at once … Your word is enough for me.”

He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has discussed in detail with the federal cabinet and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership and has decided to extend an olive branch to the protesters once again.

Chaudhry Nisar then said, “The spirit in which we allowed them (PTI and PAT) to protest, and offered to negotiate, we are again inviting them to negotiate. Our committees made all out efforts to engage them in dialogue.”

He also pleaded to Imran to prevent people from entering into violence. "You were the champion of new politics. You had a majority of new voters. For God's sake leave ego aside...I have always been impressed by your [noble] intentions. But our political lives for the first time are at odds. A leader does not push people into violence, he take people towards new politics."

“The 2013 general elections were not conducted by us but by the caretakers … These demands do not fall under the government’s domain. Instead of resolving the issues at right platforms and in parliament, they took it to the streets.”

There were suggestions that the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) should not be allowed to carry on with their march on the federal capital, but the both parties were allowed to protest in spirit of democracy, said Chaudhry Nisar.

There is no precedent in civilized world of protests such as the ones PAT and PTI are staging at the moment against the government, he said.

“Despite the use of inappropriate language against the prime minister and the ministers throughout the march, the government didn’t do anything against them.”

We restricted the marchers from entering into the Red Zone in accordance with the law and the decision by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Nawaz meets COAS to discuss security situation

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif at the Prime Minister House on Tuesday and discussed issues pertaining to national security.

Senior civilian and military leaders also attended the meeting to discuss the strategy to defuse the situation in the federal capital which had arisen due to the protests staged by PTI and PAT.

Sources told Dawn that the military leadership apprised premier Nawaz Sharif about the progress made in the ongoing Zarb-i-Azb military operation in North Waziristan.

The prime minister told the meeting that the government had opened political dialogue with both PAT and PTI to call off their protest rallies, but their leadership had refused to talk.

KP Assembly dissolution: Opposition submits no-confidence motion against CM Khattak

The opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday submitted a no-confidence motion against KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to stop assembly dissolution in case the PTI makes an attempt to do so.

Speaking to Dawn, opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman said they had PML-N, PPP, ANP and QWP on board.

Rehman said the motion was submitted in order to save the KP Assembly.

The motion has been forwarded to KP speaker Asad Qaiser, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Khan to convene a session of the assembly.

The move has been taken as a legal means to stop the dissolution of the KP assembly by the chief executive if the political crisis in the country worsens.

Khattak rubbishes reports of forward bloc

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Tuesday termed reports of the formation of a Pakistan-i-Insaf forward bloc as 'baseless' and said that the final decision with regard to the march would be taken by PTI chairman Imran Khan.

He said that the government was staging the 'drama of dialogue' as a delyaing tactic and that the time to hold negotiations was long gone.

Khattak also said that the decision over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial government would be taken after consultations with the PTI's coalition partners.

Meanwhile, Ziaullah Bangash called Dawn and said that rumours about desertions from party are baseless and added that PTI leaders were behind their party leadership and will follow instructions of chief minister Pervez Khattak.

Political parties united to safeguard constitution: Khursheed Shah

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Khursheed Shah said Tuesday that the country's various political parties stood united for safeguarding the constitution.

Shah said they were prepared to hold talks with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Shah said the country’s national unity should not be jeopardised in any manner, adding that none of the country's institutions were engaged in any conspiracy to derail democracy.

Dangerous game: PTI to march into Red Zone with women, children

The PTI has devised a dangerous strategy to march into the Red Zone and Constitutional Avenue.

PTI sources have said that women and children will be included in the march towards areas guarded by riot police, paramilitary forces, containers and barbed wire.

KP Minister Shaukat Yousafzai confirmed that women and children would march in the second row, right behind key PTI legislators and Imran Khan.

The PTI Youth Wing would follow behind the women. When questioned about the inclusion of women and children, Yousafzai said the march would be peaceful, and the women and children were being placed in the centre for their safety.

Federal Minister for Safron Abdul Qadir Baloch has termed the PTI's plan "inhuman". He alleged that the PTI leadership was using the children and women as a human shield.

Speaking to media in front of Parliament House, Baloch said including women and children in a march — where violent clashes are expected — was unacceptable.

A PTI legislator on condition of anonymity said party members were clueless as to the logic behind Imran's decisions.

"He [Imran] is on his own. He doesn't listen to anyone and party leaders are really annoyed, but they don't know what to do".

PTI protest: Govt makes last-ditch appeals for negotiation

Speaking to media representatives, Federal Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said that while the government was making efforts to contact PTI, attempts to convince the party against taking any unconstitutional steps had remained 'unfruitful'.

He requested the protesting party to resolve all issues through dialogue instead of resorting to violence and other unconstitutional measures.

The federal minister said he was naming names so that those mentioned could respond to the claims, adding that he had “spoken to Arif Alvi, Shah Mehmood Qureishi and Asad Umer after making hectic efforts to establish contact with them over the telephone”.

“I begged all three PTI leaders to reconcile with the government and only stopped short of touching Qureshi’s feet over the telephone,” Rafique added.

He further said that even other political leaders who are not the PML-N’s coalition partners were making efforts to diffuse the situation.

“Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq and party leader Liaquat Baloch spent all night outside the Frontier House requesting PTI leaders to back off from their unconstitutional demands.”

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal also urged the PTI chief to resolve his concerns through dialogue.

Iqbal said the government was trying to engage the PTI in talks, adding that it had the public’s mandate notwithstanding the attitude of its political opponents.

Red Zone: Pakistan Army puts Islamabad troops on 'high alert'

As twin protests in Islamabad entered a fifth day on Tuesday, the Pakistan Army has put its troops in Islamabad on ‘high alert’.

Fearing any untoward incident from taking place if the PTI or PAT enter the Red Zone, Corps Lieutenant General Qamar Bajwa and 10 other corps commanders have contacted top officials of the Islamabad Police for coordination to ensure security of the key government installations located along Constitution Avenue.

The troops were deployed in the federal capital under Article 245 of the Constitution. The government had taken this controversial measure for securing Islamabad amid the spectre of a political showdown. The army is however not bound to act in aid of the Islamabad police in the enforcement of this section unless Chief Commissioner Islamabad orders them to do so.

Govt should not wait for 'Pindi walay'

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital on Tuesday, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Sirajul Haq proposed five points for reconciliation between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leadership.

He said that the government should resolve problems, adding that it should not wait for ‘Pindi walay’ while also saying that a recount should be carried out in those election constituencies which were said to be rigged.

The JI Ameer said the judicial commission, which was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, should present its decision to the public within 30 days.

Haq also said that the election commission should be reconstituted, adding that it should complete its work within 40 days' time in accordance with the guidelines of the country's various political parties.

The JI Ameer also underscored that no political party in the country should carry out any unconstitutional steps, adding that in case of the latter, it would become a future tradition.

Haq said the Army should play an impartial role and added that he was advising the government to abstain from employing any violent methods to thwart protests.

He said both parties should give up their personal egos and should demonstrate flexibility, adding that he was in contact with political parties to pull the country out of its crisis state.

Transporters to register FIR against Imran, Qadri

The Karachi Goods and Transporters Association on Tuesday has announced to register an FIR against workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, DawnNews reported.

It said the FIR would be registered against the two because of damage caused to vehicles and containers in the wake of their protests and sit-ins.

At least, 2,000 containers, loaded with goods amounting to millions of rupees, were stuck in protests staged by the two political parties in Islamabad.

The PTI and PAT are currently protesting against alleged rigging in the 2013 elections and are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whose government they call illegal because it was the outcome of a rigged election.

PTI refuses to hold talks with government negotiators

PTI's top leadership on Tuesday refused to meet and hold talks with government negotiators, saying that it was too late to negotiate now.

Credible government sources told Dawn that after the PTI leadership's refusal to talk to government negotiators, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed senior ministers to reach out to other like-minded politicians in the Parliament so that they could be included in the negotiating committee.

Following the prime minister's instructions, senior ministers who are close to the premier have established contact with other like-minded politicians so they may be sent to the PTI and PAT leadership before the expiry of the deadline given by Imran Khan over leading his 'Azadi' march into the federal capital's Red Zone.

Sources said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is closely monitoring the situation and has directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to ensure security of the Red Zone at any cost.

Stocks plummet by more than 300 points at KSE-100 index

Pakistani stocks saw a huge fall on Tuesday as Karachi Stock Exchange-100 Index declined by more than 300 points and reached the level of 28,500 in the morning trading session, DawnNews reported.

Analysts reflected that if the current political scenario prevailed then the situation of stocks would also remain uncertain in future.

The low volume showed the lack of interest on the part of investors as only an investment of Rs20 million took place.

PTI’s decision not good omen for democracy: Zardari

Peoples Party Co-Chair­man Asif Ali Zardari, who at present is in London, said on Monday that PTI’s decision to quit assemblies was not a good omen for the continuity of the democratic process.

In the light of Imran Khan’s announcements, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar quoted Mr Zardari as saying, the PPP had decided to hold consultations with other opposition political parties about further participation in parliamentary proceedings.

At the same time the PPP will also consult the government on the situation in order to arrive at an amicable solution so that the democratic process was not derailed.

Martial law can’t be ruled out in case of violence: Gilani

Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said martial law cannot be ruled out if violence erupts in the wake of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek protest marches in Islamabad.

“Martial law cannot be ruled out if there is violence in Islamabad,” Gilani said.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, Gilani said the Sharif brothers should have shown flexibility to defuse the crisis.

“Nawaz has ego problem. Shahbaz Sharif should have ordered registration of FIR in Model Town killing incident on the application of PAT.”

Gilani said the PPP was not in favour of civil disobedience as it might aggravate the problems.

“The crisis can be defused only through dialogue but it appears as if the government has wasted a lot of time,” he said.