Pak army supports 'democracy', urges leaders to resolve crisis through dialogue: Report

Pakistani army has expressed serious concern over the clashes that erupted in the capital city of Islamabad between the police and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) protesters on Saturday night.

While underlining its support for democracy, the army warned that any further use of force will only worsen the situation and asked all parties to resolve the political crisis through negotiations, reported the BBC.

Three people were killed and hundreds were hurt in the clashes that continued overnight into Sunday.

Violence broke out when protesters tried to remove security barriers to move closer to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence on Saturday night.

Police responded by firing rubber bullets and using tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Protesters, led by PTI chief Imran Khan and cleric Tahirul Qadri, have been staging sit-ins outside the Parliament for the last two weeks and have said they would not move unless Sharif steps down as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.