Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- The Pakistani military has waded into the political turmoil that has beset the civilian government in recent weeks , prompting concerns the country 's fragile democracy could be undermined . Demonstrations against the embattled government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have been taking place in the capital , Islamabad , for the past two weeks . The protests have brought together two opposition leaders who are calling for changes in government , but in different ways . Imran Khan , the former cricket star who now leads one of Pakistan 's largest political parties , has demanded the resignation of Sharif and new elections amid allegations of vote-rigging during last year 's voting . His supporters have joined with those of outspoken cleric Tahir ul Qadri , who says he wants an overhaul of Pakistan 's political system . Qadri led demonstrations last year against the previous government , paralyzing the center of Islamabad . After failing to negotiate a solution with the protest movements , Sharif on Thursday asked the country 's powerful military for help brokering an end to the crisis . 'Deeper into the quicksand ' The decision is significant in a country ruled for long stretches by military dictators and where the Pakistani army has repeatedly intervened in the political process . Bringing in the military `` pushes democracy a little deeper into the quicksand where it had been trapped for many days , '' wrote The News International , a Pakistani newspaper , in an editorial Friday . `` Whether it can pull itself out remains an open question . '' Sharif clashed with the military when he served as prime minister during the 1990s , resulting in a lengthy period of exile before his return to power last year . Both Khan and Qadri met late Thursday with the army chief , Gen. Raheel Sharif , who is not related to the prime minister . The two leaders have separately threatened to let their protesters storm parliament if their demands are not . The demonstrators have been camped out in an area of the capital where many key state institutions are based . Anger over shooting . The Qadri-led protests have been fueled by anger over the fatal shooting of at least 10 of his supporters by police in the city of Lahore in June . Qadri has alleged that Shahbaz Sharif , the chief minister of Punjab province and the brother of the prime minister , was ultimately responsible for the shooting . Lahore police registered a report Thursday that listed the two Sharif brothers , as well as other top officials , as suspects in the shooting case . The move does n't amount to formal charges against the suspects . It was widely seen as an effort to placate Qadri and his supporters , but the cleric said it did n't go far enough . He called for the resignation of Shahbaz Sharif and the registering of a new report based on his movement 's allegations . The turbulence has put pressure on Pakistan 's political system , which last year carried out a transition from one democratically elected government to another for the first time in its history . Sharif 's government has been in power for less than 15 months . Commenting on the current crisis Thursday , U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said , `` We continue to urge all sides to refrain from violence , exercise restraint , respect the rule of law . '' CNN 's Sophia Saifi reported from Islamabad , and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong .
The prime minister has asked the military chief to help end the crisis . Protests have been taking place in the center of the capital for weeks . They are led by opposition politician Imran Khan and outspoken cleric Tahir ul Qadri . Bringing in the military `` pushes democracy a little deeper into the quicksand , '' an editorial says .