Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary forces secured the state television headquarters in Islamabad yesterday after a crowd of anti-government protesters stormed the building and took the channel off the air, Reuters reported.
Protesters led by cricket-legend-turned-politician Imran Khan and firebrand Muslim cleric Tahir ul-Qadri are trying to bring down the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Clashes broke out early yesterday and continued sporadically throughout the day. The state PTV channel and its English-language PTV World service were taken off the air for 45 minutes after protesters stormed its headquarters.
A PTV source told Reuters the protesters had occupied the main control room. Soldiers later secured the building and the station later came back on the air.
Police station secretariat in Islamabad has registered a case under an anti-terrorism act against politician Imran Khan, religious leader Tahir-ul-Qadri and hundreds of their supporters for organising riots, damaging state buildings and attacking security forces, Al Jazeera reported.
In the nuclear-armed nation where power has often changed hands through military coups rather than elections, the army is likely to play a key role in how the conflict unfolds.
Army chief General Raheel Sharif met Prime Minister Sharif on Monday, but it was unclear what they discussed.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Reuters the government was preparing to launch a selective crackdown against protesters yesterday, and warned demonstrators against storming government buildings.
“The writ of the state must be enforced. We hope to make a decisive move sometime later today [Monday],” he said.
“I personally feel that the next few hours will determine the course of coming events,” he said.
Protests turned violent over the weekend. Three people were killed.
How the crisis ends will be ultimately decided by the army. If the protests get out of hand, the military could step in decisively, imposing a curfew or even martial law.
Alternatively, the army could side with the protesters and put pressure on Sharif to resign, in which case an interim government would have be put in place and early parliamentary elections held to elect a new government. However, few observers believe the army is bent on seizing power again.
Some ruling party officials have accused elements within the military of orchestrating the protests to weaken the government.
Khan and Qadri have instructed their supporters to avoid any confrontation with the armed forces and strictly follow their orders. As soldiers entered the PTV building, many protesters smiled and shook hands with them.
Yesterday morning, despite heavy rain, crowds of protesters fought running battles with retreating police after breaking the main gate into the Pakistan Secretariat area which houses government ministries as well as Sharif’s official residence.
After a brief lull during the day, protesters once again charged towards police lines in the so-called Red zone - home to the prime minister’s house, parliament and foreign embassies - as they sought to reach the prime minister’s house.
Sharif, who was toppled by the army in a 1999 coup but staged a comeback with a big election win in May last year, has refused to quit while protest leaders have rejected his offers of talks, creating a dangerous deadlock.
