Army summoned to quell fights with demonstrators

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s government called in army troops on Saturday to restore order after police clashed with an Islamist group that has been camped out for the last twenty days at a key intersection near the capital Islamabad, state TV reported.

The protest inspired demonstrators to take to the streets of other cities across the country in solidarity, bringing them to a virtual standstill.

State TV reported that the Interior Ministry said Saturday that army troops had been summoned to assist the city’s civil administration in clearing the Faizabad intersection.

Six people were killed and 200 others, mostly police, were injured as police tried to clear the intersection linking the Pakistani capital with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, doctors at local hospitals said. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of a law minister over an omitted reference to the Prophet Muhammad in a parliamentary bill.

Dr. Masood Safdar of Benazir Bhutto Hospital said five civilians arrived dead from bullets wounds. Dr. Tariq Niazi of the Holy Family Hospital confirmed the death of a young man who was shot in head during the violence at the intersection and the surrounding area.

Hundreds of police in riot gear had moved in against the supporters of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah party early Saturday after a deadline expired at midnight. The police action and reaction from protesters sent scores of injured to hospitals.

News of the police intervention spread quickly, prompting sympathizers in cities round the country to take to the streets in a show of solidarity with the Islamabad protesters. The situation prompted authorities to take TV broadcasts off the air. Key social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were also blocked.

The government had made several attempts to resolve the stalemate through negotiations. The law minister, Zahid Hamid, apologized for the omission, saying it was a clerical error that was later corrected. But protest leaders demanded his resignation.

Anjum Naveed / Associated Press An officer aims his gun at demonstrators as a police vehicle burns during a clash in Islamabad. Protesters had camped at a busy intersection for days.