Pakistan Army in huddle as anti-government protesters sought to storm PM's residence

Islamabad: Amid rumours of military intervention, Pakistan's top generals, led by Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif, met on Sunday, setting the stage for a military-led solution to the persistent political crises as the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) continued to push for the ouster of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The seniormost generals met to discuss the situation and later all corps commanders were called for an emergency meeting in the evening, that was earlier due on Monday. The Army has ruled Pakistan for over half its existence since 1947. The last spell of military rule ended in 2008.

Almost simultaneously, a high-level meet led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decided to convene a joint sitting of Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crisis and political disorder. Mr Sharif appreciated the role of the police in restricting protesters from attacking major government buildings in the heart of the capital after clashes and violence intensified since Saturday midnight.

On Sunday, meanwhile, PTI chief Imran Khan expelled party chief Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and three other leaders of his party for opposing his decision to storm the major government offices. Mr Hashmi had earlier said Mr Khan would be responsible if martial law was imposed in the country. The night-long clashes between the security forces and the anti-government demonstrators left three people dead and nearly 500 others injured.

The supporters of Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri had sought to storm Mr Sharif's residence by breaking through the police barricade. The violence continued all through Saturday night and started ebbing only on Sunday morning, but the standoff still continues, with Imran Khan vowing to fight till the end, asking Pakistanis to rebel against the “illegal” regime. Mr Qadri alleged seven of his supporters were killed by the security forces, but this couldn't be verified.