Pakistan soldiers take back TV channel from protesters

The PTV channel and its English-language PTV World Service were taken off air early on Monday. “PTV staff performing their journalistic duties are being beaten up,” a news anchor said just before screens went blank.

The protesters, led by opposition leaders Imran Khan, a former 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 was elected in May last year, has refused to step down. The demonstrations descended into deadly chaos on Saturday, with at least three people killed in clashes with police.

‘Political force’

A PTV source told the Reuters news agency the protesters 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 their protection. There were no signs of violence and the protesters were seen leaving peacefully. The station later came back on the air.

The army, which is a powerful political force in Pakistan, has told the civilian government to bring an end to the crisis without resorting to violence.

According to Reuters, army chief General Raheel Sharif met prime minister Sharif on Monday but no details about what they discussed were forthcoming.

The protests escalated over the weekend when Khan and ul-Qadri told their supporters to storm the prime minister’s residence. They succeeded in reaching the lawns before Pakistan’s parliament, but got no further.

If the demonstrations got out of control, the army could step in decisively, imposing a curfew or even martial law.

Alternatively, it could side with the protesters and put pressure on 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.

‘Weakened’

A weakened Sharif would allow the army to remain firmly in charge of key issues such as relations with India and Afghanistan while allowing the civilian government to deal with day-to-day economic problems in which it has little interest.

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 towards 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 their sticks as they advanced. They had tried to storm Sharif’s house on Saturday night but were beaten back by police, Reuters reported.