Pakistan's powerful Army Chief on Monday met embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discus the deepening political crisis that has put the country on edge. Hundreds of protesters on Monday morning stormed the heavily-guarded Secretariat and the Pakistan Television office in Islamabad. Army personnel reached the headquarters of the TV station and asked the protesters to leave the building immediately. The army then took control of PTV headquarters and National Television Channel is back on air after security forces removed anti-government protesters. The military have asked all parties to peacefully resolve the deadlock. The fresh clashes came after an emergency meeting of army corps commanders last night.
With the over two weeks-long political crisis taking a violent turn, the Supreme Court on Monday offered to assist in ending the ongoing political impasse between Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek and the ruling PML-N government. A Supreme Court bench gave a one-hour deadline to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's lawyer to inform the court whether they accept its intervention or not.
The generals, who have ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history since independence in 1947, said that the situation should be resolved politically without wasting any time and without recourse to violent means.