Pakistani army retakes state TV from protesters

Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary forces secured the headquarters of state television channel PTV in Islamabad on Monday after a crowd of anti-government protesters stormed the building and took the channel off the air.

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.

Sharif, who easily won an election in May last year, has refused to step down.

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

"PTV staff performing their journalistic duties are being beaten up," a news anchor said just before the screen went blank.

A PTV source told Reuters that protesters had occupied the main control room and smashed some equipment. Later, television pictures showed uniformed members of a paramilitary force and soldiers walking calmly into the building.

A Reuters witness said the soldiers escorted protesters out and placed the building under protection. There were no signs of violence as the protesters appeared to leave peacefully. The station later came back on the air.

The chief of the army, General Raheel Sharif, met with the prime minister on Monday, according to an army source who did not give details about what they discussed.

The army chief, who shares the same name but is not related to the prime minister, urged the government and opposition leaders on Sunday to resolve the crisis through talks and warned against the use of force to end the demonstrations.

If the protests get out of control and there is major violence, the army could step in decisively, imposing a curfew or even martial law.

Alternatively, it could side with the protesters and put pressure on Nawaz 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 at this stage that the army is bent on seizing power again.

On Monday, 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.

As protesters charged toward police lines in the so-called Red zone - home to the prime minister's house, parliament and many foreign embassies - security forces could be seen retreating, with police huddled in groups and avoiding direct confrontation.

The protesters could be seen beating motorcycles and cars with sticks as they advanced. They had tried to storm Nawaz Sharif's house on Saturday night but were repulsed by police.

(China Daily 09/02/2014 page11)