The Pakistan Government on Saturday called in the Army after clashes broke out here when police and paramilitary forces cracked down on protesters from hardline religious groups who were blocking a key highway to the capital, leaving six dead and over 200 people injured. The Interior Ministry issued a statutory regulatory order authorising the deployment of the Army in aid of the civil administration to control law and order in the Islamabad Capital Territory.
The Army will be deployed for an indefinite period to maintain peace in Islamabad, the ministry said. The Government acted under Article 245 of the Constitution to deploy the Army to control the situation. The development came hours after Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi over the telephone and discussed the security situation.
The Government also ordered suspension of private TV channels and blocked popular social media sites as police and paramilitary personnel fought pitched battles with activists of Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-labaik Ya Rasool Allah and Sunni Tehreek Pakistan who torched vehicles and attacked houses of political leaders.