New Delhi, May 23 -- The country will not forgive Imran Khan if civil war breaks out in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned his predecessor hours after Khan announced a long march to the capital Islamabad on 25 May seeking early elections.

"Imran Niazi wants civil war but let me tell you the nation will not forgive you... it will be your collar and the people's hands," Sharif was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. The warning came as the PTI led by former prime minister Khan stepped up pressure on the government to announce the date of the elections.

On Sunday, Khan, who was forced out of power through a parliamentary vote in April, put two key demands: the dissolution of the National Assembly and the announcement of th...