Clashes between Pakistani anti-government protesters and police resumed in the capital Islamabad late on Monday afternoon, with security forces firing teargas to stop demonstrators trying to reach Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence.
Live television footage showed men armed with wooden clubs running chaotically along the central Constitution Avenue, some pressing cotton scarves to their faces to lessen the effect of the teargas.
Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary forces secured the headquarters of the 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.
Protests descended into deadly chaos over the weekend, with demonstrators clashing with police in a central area near many government buildings and embassies. Three people were killed.
Sharif, who was toppled by the army in a 1999 coup, has refused to quit while protest leaders have rejected his offers of talks, creating a dangerous deadlock.
Clashes broke out again 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.
A PTV source told Reuters the protesters had occupied the main control room and smashed some equipment. 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.
In the nuclear-armed nation where power has often changed hands through military coups rather than elections, the army is bound to play a key role in how the conflict unfolds but it has not directly intervened, apart from meeting the protagonists and calling on them to show restraint.
Army chief General Raheel Sharif met Prime Minister Sharif on Monday, but it was unclear what they discussed.
The army chief, who is not related to the prime minister, late Sunday urged the government and opposition leaders to resolve the crisis through talks and warned against the use of force to end the demonstrations.
Protesters have camped out in Islamabad since mid-August, paralyzing life in the center of the capital and creating massive traffic jams. The protest site, where many sleep rough every night, is littered with rubbish and reeks of human waste.
How the crisis ends will be ultimately decided by the army. If the protests get out of hand, the military could step in decisively, imposing a curfew or even martial law.
There is also a question mark over how much protest leaders are capable of controlling their own people, many of them frustrated after weeks of hardship and no solution in sight.
Alternatively, the army 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 the army is bent on seizing power again. 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.
Some ruling party officials have accused elements within the military of orchestrating the protests to weaken the government.
Khan and Qadri have instructed their supporters to avoid any confrontation with the armed forces and strictly follow their orders. As soldiers entered the PTV building, many protesters smiled and shook hands with them.
The military insists it does not meddle in politics but it was known to be frustrated with the government, in particular over the treason trial of former military chief and ex-President Pervez Musharraf, who deposed Sharif in 1999.
There has also been disagreement on how to handle Islamist militants, and on relations with old rival India.
On Monday morning, 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 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.
One policeman on the street told Reuters they had been instructed by their chiefs not to use force. By mid-afternoon the protests had subsided, with no signs of more violence.
Sharif, who was prime minister twice in the 1990s, swept to office last year in Pakistan's first democratic transition of power. He is due to address both houses of parliament on Tuesday in an apparent effort to show that he is firmly in control.
But Sharif looks increasingly cornered in the conflict, and even if he survives the crisis he is likely to remain significantly weakened for the rest of his tenure.
The protesters out on Monday appeared to be from Qadri's camp. Khan, who has refused to hold negotiations, says he would not call off the protests until Sharif resigns.
"Do not carry out any acts of violence. God has given us victory," Khan said from atop a shipping container at the main rally site.
"Pakistan's Hosni Mubarak who buys people with his money was once thought of as indispensable, but today his legs are shaking," he said, likening Sharif to the ousted Egyptian leader.
REUTERS