Nawaz Sharif, Army chief hold crucial meeting at PM House

 A meeting was held between Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif at the PM House on Monday to discuss a viable strategy to resolve the ongoing political crisis, which has worsened following clashes between protesters and the police. According to the Dawn, sources have revealed that the army chief was taking the prime minister into confidence over the discussions held during the corps commanders meeting on Sunday evening on the prevailing situation.

After Sunday's meeting of the top army commanders, the Pakistani prime minister is now consulting his senior political and government aides to resolve the political deadlock. Meanwhile, a discussion on the current political turmoil will be held later today at a session of the National Assembly. Earlier today, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) protesters were thrown out of the PTV building by the army, after they barged into the TV channel's office on Monday, forcing the national broadcaster to go off-air.

The protesters were made to leave the building following army intervention and the channel was allowed to resume its broadcast. PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PAT chief Tahirul Qadri appealed to protesters to not occupy government buildings and asked them not to cross the line after the temporary seizure. The anti-government protests took a violent turn yesterday when protesters clashed with police in Islamabad, as they marched to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence, demanding his resignation.

According to reports, hundreds were left injured as the police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. This comes after reports stated that Pakistan army chief Raheel Sharif had held a meeting with his corps commanders in Rawalpindi, where the ongoing political crisis was discussed, along with the minutes of his meeting with Nawaz, the PTI and the PAT. Meanwhile, the protests have spread to other cities as Lahore saw demonstrations for the first time, starting Saturday. According to reports, routes leading to the residence of Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Nawaz and Chief Minister of Punjab ( Pakistan), have been sealed off. The PTI and PAT demand the resignation of Nawaz Sharif, holding him responsible for the death of 14 people in Lahore and have accused him of poll-rigging.