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The rallies initially remained peaceful, though they forced a lockdown of Islamabad. Violence first erupted on Saturday, with police firing tear gas and clashing with protesters who pushed closer to the seat of government in the Red Zone.

On Monday, Qadri’s followers reached the gate of the prime minister’s residence – the first of at least two layers of security protecting the house, a few hundred metres from the residence itself – and staged a sit-in there.

“We have reached near the prime minister’s residence. Wait for some time and you will hear the news of our ultimate victory,” Qadri urged them.

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At the state TV, senior official Athar Farooq said 20 cameras went missing as protesters overran the station. “The intruders seemed well trained” and were taking instructions over mobile phones during the break-in, he said.

Several of the protesters took down Sharif’s portrait from a wall, threw it on the floor and stomped on it in anger.

Ismatullah Niazi, another senior TV official, told The Associated Press that the intruders also destroyed computers and other equipment, fought with employees and took food from the cafeteria.

Army troops and paramilitary Rangers later reached the building and began to clear it of protesters. Some private Pakistani TV stations showed footage of protesters embracing the Rangers and agreeing to leave.

“You have come to the wrong place, please leave immediately as this is embarrassing for everybody – for your leaders and for those working here,” a military official said over a loud speaker.

Earlier, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif told state TV that the protesters are seeking to “create chaos in the country, they want to defame Pakistan in the eyes of the world.”

Khan, the former cricket player, distanced himself from those who stormed the TV station.

“We have not asked anybody to enter any buildings, they are not our people,” he said, speaking to supporters from the back of his truck.