Pakistan's government called in the army on Wednesday to help quell deadly unrest in the wake of the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, warning protesters against any further attacks on state installations, Reuters reports.
At least five people have died in violence that has aggravated instability in the South Asian country of 220 million people as it grapples with a severe economic crisis and a delay to an International Monetary Fund bailout since November.
Khan - Pakistan's most popular political leader according to polls - was arrested in a land fraud case on Tuesday, prompting supporters to storm military buildings and ransack the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore.
Other government buildings and assets have been attacked and set ablaze by protesters and the government said on Wednesday it had approved requests from two of Pakistan's four provinces - Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both Khan strongholds - and the federal capital Islamabad to deploy troops.
The army issued a statement saying it had shown restraint during earlier violence but any further attacks on the military or law enforcement agencies, state installations and properties "will be met with severe retaliation".
