File Photo of Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif
Islamabad, Pakistan:
After night-long clashes in Islamabad between anti-government demonstrators and security forces that left three people dead and about 450 others injured, the situation continued to be tense and uncertain even as the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif summoned a meeting of corps commanders today.
The clashes broke out late on Saturday night when the demonstrators who have laid siege to the heart of the Pakistani establishment, housing the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister's Office, sought to storm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence nearby after breaking through the police barricade.
The violence continued throughout the night and subsided this morning but the 18-day stand-off continued to force Mr Sharif's resignation over alleged rigging during last year's elections.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan vowed to fight till death and asked Pakistanis to rebel against the "illegal" regime while the other anti-Sharif protest leader cleric Tahir-ul Qadri alleged seven of his supporters were killed by security forces which could not be confirmed.
General Raheel Sharif called a meeting of his corps commanders to discuss matters relating to the internal security situation.
The army holds the key to resolving the impasse which has plunged the country into the worst crisis, 15 months after Nawaz Sharif's PML-N was voted to power.
Among those injured in the overnight clashes were several journalists.
Reporters, who were covering the protests, were brutally tortured by rioters and the police.
Meanwhile, the government on its part, said it was trying to re-open talks with opposition groups.
Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the government remained open to negotiations in order to end the crisis peacefully.
"The government did not initiate the clashes. They turned violent and tried to enter sensitive government buildings, which are the symbol of the state," Mr Rashid was quoted by Geo News channel as saying.
"They wanted their demands to be met at gunpoint but still, our doors are open for talks," he said.
Mr Sharif, who yesterday went to Lahore with his staff, returned to the capital today.
Yesterday, Mr Sharif dismissed the protests, describing it as a "tiny storm" that will end soon.
"This is just a tiny storm, a tumult, which would be ended in a few days," Mr Sharif said.
Indicating that certain forces were trying to target him, the Pakistan Premier asserted that "conspiracy" against democracy will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, clashes continued between police in riot gear and protesters. Many protesters had come armed with batons and slingshots.
Shipping containers were set ablaze, several vehicles torched in normally quiet Constitution Avenue following more than 15 hours of battle.
Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters outside the prime minister's official residence and the adjacent parliament building.
Hundreds of protesters entered the lawn of parliament but they were pushed back at the main entrance of the building where the army was deployed.
About 450 injured were brought to Polyclinic and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the two premier state-run hospitals, a government official said.
A police official said over 70 policemen and five Frontier Constabulary personnel were injured in clashes with protesters armed with sticks, catapults and stones.
After police crackdown, Mr Khan asked Pakistanis to join him in the protest.
"I request all the nation, civil servants, bureaucrats and police to rebel against this illegal government," Mr Khan told his supporters.
He asked officials to ignore all illegal orders from the government.
"I am prepared to die fighting for the freedom for my people," he said, adding, "allah, ya azaadi ya maut (either freedom or death)".
He said his party would file an FIR against Mr Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Khan for killing people.
Mr Khan defended the protests saying that they were marching peacefully.
"Nawaz Sharif is a fascist and does not believe in democracy...In democracy, peaceful protest is our right," he said, adding, "Those who say we shouldn't have done this do not know the difference between freedom and slavery".
So far the protesters failed to break into the security cordon and reach the Prime Minister House.
The clashes broke out late on Saturday night when the demonstrators who have laid siege to the heart of the Pakistani establishment, housing the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister's Office, sought to storm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence nearby after breaking through the police barricade.
The violence continued throughout the night and subsided this morning but the 18-day stand-off continued to force Mr Sharif's resignation over alleged rigging during last year's elections.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan vowed to fight till death and asked Pakistanis to rebel against the "illegal" regime while the other anti-Sharif protest leader cleric Tahir-ul Qadri alleged seven of his supporters were killed by security forces which could not be confirmed.
General Raheel Sharif called a meeting of his corps commanders to discuss matters relating to the internal security situation.
The army holds the key to resolving the impasse which has plunged the country into the worst crisis, 15 months after Nawaz Sharif's PML-N was voted to power.
Among those injured in the overnight clashes were several journalists.
Reporters, who were covering the protests, were brutally tortured by rioters and the police.
Meanwhile, the government on its part, said it was trying to re-open talks with opposition groups.
Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the government remained open to negotiations in order to end the crisis peacefully.
"The government did not initiate the clashes. They turned violent and tried to enter sensitive government buildings, which are the symbol of the state," Mr Rashid was quoted by Geo News channel as saying.
"They wanted their demands to be met at gunpoint but still, our doors are open for talks," he said.
Mr Sharif, who yesterday went to Lahore with his staff, returned to the capital today.
Yesterday, Mr Sharif dismissed the protests, describing it as a "tiny storm" that will end soon.
"This is just a tiny storm, a tumult, which would be ended in a few days," Mr Sharif said.
Indicating that certain forces were trying to target him, the Pakistan Premier asserted that "conspiracy" against democracy will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, clashes continued between police in riot gear and protesters. Many protesters had come armed with batons and slingshots.
Shipping containers were set ablaze, several vehicles torched in normally quiet Constitution Avenue following more than 15 hours of battle.
Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters outside the prime minister's official residence and the adjacent parliament building.
Hundreds of protesters entered the lawn of parliament but they were pushed back at the main entrance of the building where the army was deployed.
About 450 injured were brought to Polyclinic and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the two premier state-run hospitals, a government official said.
A police official said over 70 policemen and five Frontier Constabulary personnel were injured in clashes with protesters armed with sticks, catapults and stones.
After police crackdown, Mr Khan asked Pakistanis to join him in the protest.
"I request all the nation, civil servants, bureaucrats and police to rebel against this illegal government," Mr Khan told his supporters.
He asked officials to ignore all illegal orders from the government.
"I am prepared to die fighting for the freedom for my people," he said, adding, "allah, ya azaadi ya maut (either freedom or death)".
He said his party would file an FIR against Mr Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Khan for killing people.
Mr Khan defended the protests saying that they were marching peacefully.
"Nawaz Sharif is a fascist and does not believe in democracy...In democracy, peaceful protest is our right," he said, adding, "Those who say we shouldn't have done this do not know the difference between freedom and slavery".
So far the protesters failed to break into the security cordon and reach the Prime Minister House.
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