Islamist protests in Pakistan grow as military stays silent

Thousands protested in Pakistan's major cities on Sunday after attempts to disperse an Islamist rally in Islamabad ended in deadly violence, with the military hesitant to respond to the government's appeal for help.

More than 5,000 demonstrators blocked roads between Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi, more than twice the number who had protested a day earlier when police and paramilitaries began a bungled operation to clear them.

At least 4,750 were in Pakistan's biggest city Karachi, according to traffic officials, up from roughly 200 the day before.

In the cultural capital Lahore an estimated 3,400 were occupying main roads. Reports said the protests have also spread to other cities and towns across the country. 

The protests are relatively small but have grown swiftly in number.

The little-known Islamist group at the centre of the protests, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLY), is demanding the resignation of Pakistan's law minister Zahid Hamid over a hastily-abandoned amendment to the oath, which election candidates must swear.

Demonstrators have linked the issue to blasphemy - a highly contentious matter in Muslim Pakistan that has fuelled violence many times before

Demonstrators have linked the issue to blasphemy - a highly contentious matter in Muslim Pakistan that has fuelled violence many times before.

TLY leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi repeated the demand in a press conference on Sunday and insisted terrorism charges be levelled against top officials including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and current leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

He called for a general strike across the country Monday, and declared that TLY will "fully participate" in general elections due to be held next year.

Rizvi said his group was "negotiating" but refused to offer further details, including of who with, and vowed the sit-in would continue "at any cost".

"We are not scared of these bullets. We have to die one day so why not die for the honour of the holy Prophet," he said.

The situation has become highly charged since authorities cleared some 2,000 people who had blocked a major highway in Islamabad since 6 November, paralysing the capital.

At least seven people were killed and dozens injured before security forces retreated as protesters torched vehicles and threw stones.

An interior ministry order said the federal government had authorised the deployment of troops to secure the capital until further notice.

But one day after the order was released there was no official military response and no sign of armoured vehicles or soldiers on the streets.

A military spokesman declined repeated requests for comment.

Late Sunday an interior ministry official told AFP the paramilitary Rangers force had been empowered to "deal with the protests", but offered no further details.

Civil-military relations have long been fraught in Pakistan, with the military ruling the country for nearly half of its 70-year history. 

The violence is the latest blow to the embattled Pakistan Muslim League government ahead of the 2018 election, and after its leader Nawaz Sharif was deposed as prime minister over graft allegations this summer.