Pakistan anti-government protesters storm state TV

ISLAMABAD // Hundreds of protesters trying to topple Pakistan’s government stormed the state broadcaster on Monday, intensifying the political crisis gripping the nuclear-armed nation.

Transmissions of the main Pakistani Television (PTV) news channel were cut for around half an hour before security forces cleared demonstrators from the building in Islamabad’s high-security “red zone”.

The brief seizing of PTV by protesters armed with clubs came after fresh street clashes in which police were pelted with rocks. Security forces responded with tear gas.

Late on Sunday, the powerful army called for a peaceful settlement of the political crisis that has shaken Pakistan and weakened the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Opposition groups marched to the capital on August 15 to try to oust Mr 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.

The military urged the government and protesters to settle their differences peacefully, but warned it was “committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state” after clashes killed three and injured hundreds.

Violence began on Saturday night when followers of opposition party leader and former cricketer Imran Khan and of populist cleric Tahir Ul Qadri tried to storm Mr Sharif’s official residence.

Fresh clashes erupted on Monday morning as heavy rain fell on the capital, when more than 3,000 demonstrators again tried to march on the building, a witneses said.

Protesters pelted riot police with stones and some smashed up motorbikes with wooden clubs. Police tried to respond with tear gas but the heavy rain appeared to make it ineffective.

Some managed to breach the perimeter fences of some official buildings, but paramilitary security forces stopped them at the entrance to the prime minister’s house.

Both Mr Khan and Mr Qadri appeared on the shipping containers they have used as stages to urge their supporters not to resort to violence.

A witness saw more than 300 protesters, many armed with wooden clubs, enter the PTV building shouting anti-government slogans.

Television footage showed some of them beating a photo of Mr Sharif with sticks and spitting on it.

After the PTV building was cleared and transmission restarted, both Mr Khan and Mr Qadri tried to distance themselves from the incident, saying their activists were not involved.

On Sunday, following an emergency meeting of top brass in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, the army voiced support for democracy but also stressed its own role in maintaining security.

“While reaffirming support to democracy, the conference reviewed with serious concern, the existing political crisis and the violent turn it has taken, resulting in large scale injuries and loss of lives,” the military said in a statement.

“It was once again reiterated that the situation should be resolved politically without wasting any time and without recourse to violent means.”

They added, “[The] army remains committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state and will never fall short of meeting national aspirations.”

The statement opened with backing for the government but ended on a hawkish note – which a senior government official said reflected differing views within the army’s top brass.

The protest leaders claim that the 2013 general election which swept Mr Sharif to power was rigged, even though local and foreign observers rated the polls as relatively fair and credible.

Speaking from the roof of a shipping container Sunday, Mr Khan vowed to continue his protest “until our last breath”, adding he would file murder charges against the prime minister over the violence.

The weekend clashes left nearly 500 people injured, including some children and nearly 100 police officers.

The protest leaders have drawn thousands to the streets of Islamabad, but their call has not mobilised mass support in a country of 180 million people.

* Agence France-Presse