ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, weakened by weeks of demonstrations calling for him to resign, threatened on Wednesday to clear a protest camp established more than a month ago outside government offices in Islamabad.

Protesters led by Imran Khan, a former cricket star, and Tahirul Qadri, a firebrand cleric, have been locked in a bitter stand-off with the government since mid-August, refusing to leave their camp until Sharif steps down. The protest leaders accuse Sharif of rigging last year’s election which brought him back to power in a landslide.

“Up until now, we have tolerated all this and acted with decency and patience,” Sharif said. “Otherwise it’s no hard task for us to clear the way and clear the streets.”

Meanwhile, police confirmed on Wednesday that anti-government protesters have pressed fresh murder charges against Sharif.

The case relates to the deaths of three people in clashes with police that took place on the night of Aug. 30 after the protesters attempted to storm the prime minister’s official residence and used cranes to remove barricades. Two victims died from rubber bullet injuries while a third had a heart attack. All were male.

Opposition leaders ordered thousands of their supporters this weekend to resist any government attempt to quash their protests, prolonging a political crisis in the coup-prone country. Khan’s party said it had not backed down from its demand that Sharif quit and was ending dialogue with the government after 100 activists were jailed over the weekend.