Pak Army attempting to destabilize Sharif Govt.: Expert

Counter-terrorism expert Ajai Sahni on Monday said the ongoing crisis in Islamabad is an orchestrated one and is backed by the Pakistani Army.

Commenting on the chaotic situation in Islamabad, Sahni said, "This is an orchestrated crisis and the power behind it is the army. And, the effort is basically to destabilize the civil government over there."

He said that the ongoing situation is nothing new and this is a cycle that Pakistan goes through after every election.

Sahni further said that the Pakistan Army does not want a stable and powerful government in Islamabad.

"That is why every time you see that the minute government starts taking positions on the issues concerning the army, something or the other is always done to destabilize that government," he said.

"Now, the Nawaz Sharif government has been taking certain positions that are problematic for the army because of which there is friction and because there is this friction the army is using weak political leaders like Imran Khan and Qadri to weaken the government," he added.

Sahni further said, "Whenever there is democratic government in Pakistan, the army is always standing behind it saying that obey or we will take over."

The political crisis in Pakistan escalated today with official television channel PTV being taken off air temporally after its headquarters were ransacked by the protesters in Islamabad.

The protesters backed by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Tahir-ul Qadri pushed closer to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence in central Islamabad, fighting running battles with police after breaking into the Pakistan Secretariat area which houses several important ministries.

The police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to push back the protestors but remained unsuccessful. The protesters damaged vehicles of employees of the Pakistan Secretariat.