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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister and army chief have held marathon meetings today over the violent anti-government protests that could force the prime minister to resign.
Nawaz Sharif is again vowing he won't step down under pressure, even as protesters today briefly took over the country's state-run television broadcaster and fought with security forces in the streets.
The military is denying reports that the country's powerful army chief has advised him to resign.
Tomorrow's joint session of parliament appears to be an attempt to rally political support to the prime minister's side. Many politicians have backed him so far, but others in Pakistan have become worried about the protests.
A cleric and an opposition politician have led mass demonstrations, as they demand that Sharif step down over their allegations of fraud in last year's election.
The protests had been peaceful for weeks, but turned ugly over the weekend when clashes between protesters and security forces killed three people and wounded hundreds of others in Islamabad.
%@AP Links
166-c-12-(Jon Gambrell (gam-BREHL'), AP correspondent)-"there steps down"-AP correspondent Jon Gambrell reports protests against the Pakistan government have grown more violent. (1 Sep 2014)
<<CUT *166 (09/01/14)££ 00:12 "there steps down"
167-c-19-(Jon Gambrell (gam-BREHL'), AP correspondent)-"of massive fraud"-AP correspondent Jon Gambrell reports protests are nearly all in the country's capital and focused on the 2013 presidential election -- which observers found was generally fair. (1 Sep 2014)
<<CUT *167 (09/01/14)££ 00:19 "of massive fraud"
APPHOTO BKB121: Police beat a protester during clashes in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. Anti-government protesters stormed Pakistan's state television building Monday, forcing the channel briefly off the air as they clashed with police and pushed closer to the prime minister's residence. The violence comes as part of the mass demonstrations led by Muslim cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri and opposition politician Imran Khan that demand Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) (1 Sep 2014)
<<APPHOTO BKB121 (09/01/14)££
APPHOTO BKB116: A Pakistani protester picks up a tear gas canister to throw back towards police during a clash in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. Anti-government protesters stormed Pakistan's state television building Monday, forcing the channel briefly off the air as they clashed with police and pushed closer to the prime minister's residence. The violence comes as part of the mass demonstrations led by cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri and opposition politician Imran Khan that demand Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) (1 Sep 2014)
<<APPHOTO BKB116 (09/01/14)££
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