Dubai: Pakistan’s interior minister on Tuesday slammed violent antigovernment protests as a “revolt against the state” as lawmakers met to discuss the political crisis shaking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Parliament met for an emergency session after three days of clashes between police and club-wielding demonstrators demanding Sharif’s resignation.

Sharif has resisted calls for him to go but protest leaders Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri have refused to back down, raising political tensions to fever pitch.

The protests have disrupted life in the normally sleepy capital since August 15 and heaped pressure on Sharif, raising the spectre of military intervention in a country ruled for half its history by the army.

Khan, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) opposition party, claims the May 2013 election that swept Sharif to power in a landslide was rigged. Qadri, a populist cleric, says the current political system is corrupt and must be swept away entirely.

But the movements have not energised much widespread support beyond Khan and Qadri’s core followers. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the country should not be held to ransom by a few thousand people.

“This is not a protest or a political gathering. This is a revolt against Pakistan — this is a revolt against the state institutions,” he told lawmakers.

The powerful military has called for a swift and peaceful political solution but efforts to negotiate a way out have so far failed.

Sharif’s relationship with the military has been problematic over the years — his last term as PM ended in a coup led by then-army chief General Pervez Musharraf in 1999.

Since his election last year Sharif is thought to have angered the military by pursuing treason charges against Musharraf and seeking to warm ties with perennial rival India. The spectre of military domination by Pakistan’s giant neighbour has long been used as part of the justification for the army’s influence and large budget.

The military is usually treated respectfully in Pakistani media, but two major dailies on Tuesday published surprisingly forthright editorials criticising its handling of the current crisis.

The antigovernment protests could also throw off course economic reforms Pakistan promised to deliver in return for an IMF bailout, senior officials said, raising the risk of a sovereign rating downgrade.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) saved Pakistan from possible default last September by agreeing to lend $6.6 billion (Dh22 billion) over three years, conditional on reforms such as a long-standing pledge to privatise loss-making state companies.

There is no suggestion that the assistance, which is disbursed in tranches, is about to dry up.

“The programme is not in jeopardy at the moment,” said a top economic adviser with direct knowledge of talks with the Fund.

“The IMF folk think that if we can wrap this crisis up in a week or so, things will remain on course and normal. But if it goes on any longer, then, yes, we will be in trouble.”

Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan voiced concern that an IMF team had already cancelled a visit to Pakistan because of the protests. He said more than a year of efforts to fix the economy had “gone up in smoke”.

“The government has very painstakingly been building a house of international confidence, and the foundation of this was the IMF package and abiding by our reforms’ promises,” the minister told Reuters. “But ... our struggles of 14 months have gone up in smoke in a matter of 14 days. We are pushed to a point where we have to go back to the drawing board.”

For now, credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is watching events unfold in Islamabad. S & P currently has a B- sovereign rating for Pakistan, which was thrown the IMF lifeline to bring down inflation, reduce its fiscal deficit and tackle a crippling energy crisis.

Robert Zhong, Hong Kong-based sovereign analyst at S & P, said structural reform may largely continue despite the political turmoil, but added: “If there are signs these programmes will be dislocated, we could review the rating.”

At Moody’s, Singapore-based sovereign analyst Anushka Shah echoed that view, saying the “political developments would have implications for Pakistan’s creditworthiness if they resulted in a derailment of the structural reform process”.

Investors too have taken fright over the agitation against Sharif. Since Imran Khan announced on August 5 that his supporters would besiege the capital, the benchmark 100-share Karachi Stock Exchange index has fallen more than 7 per cent, but recovered some of that on Tuesday, and the rupee has lost 3.4 per cent against the dollar.

Two foreign heads of government have cancelled visits to Pakistan due to the protests, and Sharif himself has called off a trip to Turkey. The worry now is that they could ruin a visit this month by President Xi Jinping of China.

Normal life and business in Islamabad have been thrown into disarray as the protests grind on.

Honda Centre is one of Pakistan’s largest car dealerships.

The freshly painted showroom is state of the art, with high ceilings, well-dressed staff and a collection of art prints on the wall. But it’s barely seen any customers for weeks.

“Logistics aren’t running, we can’t get the cars that we’ve booked, customers aren’t leaving their homes to pick up their cars and clients aren’t coming in to get their cars fixed,” said Hassan Raza, the dealership owner. “I’ve lost 90 per cent of my business.” “And this is across the economy. People are going out to buy essential stuff, food items — but they’re not buying cars, or clothes. They’re not going to the cinema. If this continues, the economy is dead. The impact has already been huge.” Not everyone is grumbling about the protests, though.

Mohsin Ali, who has been selling snacks to protesters camped out around the heart of the city, has enjoyed brisk business.

“I’ve made more money in two weeks than I would in two months,” he said.

— Compiled from agencies