Anti-government protests in Pakistan

A crowd of protesters stormed Pakistan's state television channel, PTV, on Monday Sep 01,2014 and took the channel off air, with a news anchor claiming that some working journalists were beaten up. 

Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary forces entered the headquarters in Islamabad and restored order.

Protesters led by opposition leaders Imran Khan, a hero cricket player turned politician, and Tahir ul-Qadri, a firebrand cleric, have been on the streets for weeks trying to bring down the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 

Nawaz Sharif, who easily won an election in May last year, has refused to step down. Qadri and Khan allege widespread fraud in the country's May 2013 election, in which Sharif's party won by a landslide. 

The demonstrations descended into deadly chaos on Saturday, with at least three people killed in clashes with police.

Nawaz Sharif, who was prime minister twice in the 1990s, swept to office last year in Pakistan's first democratic transition of power. He is due to address both houses of parliament on Tuesday in an apparent effort to show that he is firmly in control.

But Sharif looks increasingly cornered in the conflict, and even if he survives the crisis he is likely to remain significantly weakened for the rest of his tenure

Clashes broke out early on Monday and the state PTV channel and its English-language PTV World service were taken off the air after protesters stormed its headquarters in Islamabad.

'They have stormed the PTV office,' a news anchor said just before the screen went blank. 'PTV staff performing their journalistic duties are being beaten up.'

Pakistani soldiers stand guard outside the headquarters of PTV

  

Pakistani protesters beat the portrait of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with shoes at the main entry gate of the state television building in Islamabad

  

Pakistani police run from opposition protesters during clashes near the prime minister's residence in Islamabad on Monday

 

Protests in Islamabad turned increasing towards violence today as police clashed with demonstrators. As street battles erupted one officer who was separated from the main force was attacked with sticks

   

Imran Khan addressed his supporters in Islamabad during an anti-government march on the same day as hundreds of his backers seized the state broadcaster's television offices and allegedly beat its journalists

  

protest leader Imran Khan and fellow leader Tahir-ul-Qadri during the anti-government march on Tuesday Aug 03,2014

Pakistan's parliament stands by PM Sharif despite violent protests demanding his resignation

 

Pakistan's parliament threw its weight behind embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday Aug 03,2014 as a deepening crisis over violent protests demanding his resignation prompted fears of an Army intervention.
But, signalling a possible softening in his position, protest leader Imran Khan said he would meet a conservative Islamist politician who has been trying to mediate between Khan and the government since the start of the confrontation.
Sharif, who enjoys a solid majority in parliament, convened a joint session of the assembly as he seeks to reaffirm that he is fully in control more than two weeks after protests seeking to bring down his government erupted in the coup-prone nation.