Pakistan anti-premier protesters storm state TV
What you need to know:
- Beleaguered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held talks with the powerful army chief and opposition leaders in a bid to find a way out of the crisis, which has weakened his hold on power.
ISLAMABAD, Monday
Hundreds of protesters trying to topple Pakistan’s government briefly seized the state broadcaster on Monday, intensifying a fortnight-long political crisis that has shaken the nuclear-armed nation.
Transmissions of the main Pakistani Television (PTV) news channel were cut after protesters armed with clubs stormed the building in Islamabad’s high-security “red zone”, before being removed by security forces after around half an hour.
The occupation came after fresh street clashes between riot police and followers of opposition politician Imran Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, in which officers were pelted with rocks and responded with tear gas.
Beleaguered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held talks with the powerful army chief and opposition leaders in a bid to find a way out of the crisis, which has weakened his hold on power.
Khan and Qadri supporters have been protesting in the capital since August 15 to try to oust Prime Minister Sharif over alleged election fraud, triggering a crisis that has raised the spectre of military intervention in a country ruled for half its history by the army.
Late on Sunday, the powerful army called for a peaceful settlement, but warned it was “committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state” after weekend clashes left three dead and hundreds injured. (AFP)
