300 injured in Islamabad violence as protesters demand Nawaz Sharif's resignation

Islamabad: More than 300 people were injured in the skirmishes between the police and the protestors who demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and battled tear gas, batons and rubber bullets outside the prime minister's official residence and the adjacent parliament building.

After a night of clashes, protesters started regrouping on Sunday making repeated attempts to make their way through heavy deployment of police and barricades to reach the premier's residence. Police strengthened their lines and responded by lobbing tear gas canisters.

Scores of protesters, including women, carrying hammers and iron rods broke down a fence outside the parliament building, enabling hundreds of people to enter the lawns and parking area, says Pakistani television reports.

Islamabad police Chief Khalid Khattak said that the protesters were armed with big hammers, wire cutters, axes and even a crane. Defense minister Khwaja Mohammad Asif said that police later managed to clear most of the protesters from the parliament building's parking area and lawns.

More than 300 people, including women, children and police officers, were admitted to two government hospitals in the Pakistani capital, medics and police said. The injured had wounds from tear gas shells, batons and rubber bullets, said Dr. Javed Akram, who heads the capital's main hospital.

while 182 injured were treated at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences which included 37 police officers, another 152 injured people were brought to a government hospital near the scene of the clashes, said another physician, reports said.

The protest leaders, cricket-legend-turned politician Imran Khan and anti-government cleric Tahirul Qadri, had called on the supporters staging a sit-in for days outside the parliament building to march on the prime minister's residence and the legislative chamber. About 20,000 police in riot gear were deployed to block the procession.

Protests demanding Sharif's resignation were also taking place in Lahore, Karachi and other Pakistani cities, according to TV reports. Khan described the police action against the crowd as illegal.

Khan and Qadri, a dual Pakistani-Canadian citizen with a wide following, allege that Sharif won the 2013 election due to massive voter fraud and should step down. They also have demanded reforms in Pakistan's electoral system to prevent voter fraud.

Backed by parliament and many political parties, Sharif has said he will not step down. Government negotiators have tried to convince Qadri and Khan to end their protest.