ISLAMABAD: Thousands of people arrived to the Parade Ground in Islamabad on Saturday as former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan took the stage at an anti-government rally organized by his party.
Khan was removed from office in a vote of no-confidence on April 10, after he lost majority in parliament.
He has since held several anti-government rallies across the country demanding new elections and saying his ouster was part of a Washington-backed "foreign conspiracy" and refusing to recognize the new administration of PM Shebaz Sharif. The US has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has said Saturday's gathering was a protest against rising inflation and record increases in the prices of petroleum products.
"I had set out just for one purpose: imported govt unacceptable," Khan said, addressing the crowd.
On May 25, Khan led an anti-government march on the Pakistani capital, which saw clashes between demonstrators and police as well as arrests of hundreds of Khan supporters across the country during the day-long political drama.
After entering Islamabad, Khan had called off the march and gave the government a six-day ultimatum to dissolve assemblies and announce fresh elections. But the government rejected his demands.
"I knew there would be anarchy that evening and people would have come face to face with the police and the Rangers," he said in Saturday's speech. "I don't want to spread anarchy within my nation."
