By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistan's capital Islamabad witnessed unruly scenes on Tuesday as more than 1,000 policemen staged a protest demonstration against the death of an ailing colleague.
The deceased was among the law enforcers called in from the central Punjab province last month to back a likely operation to end a standoff between the federal authorities and pupils of a radical mosque.
The operation did not take place but the policemen were kept stationed at an ill-equipped vacant public building for any future raid against the students of Lal Masjid, or red mosque, and its affiliated seminaries, who have embarked on an anti-vice campaign and set up a parallel Islamic court.
Enraged police blocked one of the city's arteries Tuesday morning when they found their fellow officer dead in his room. They also prevented opening of shops in an adjacent market and ransacked a few eateries.
Personnel of the Islamabad police met stiff resistance when they moved in to control members of the mob, who beat one policeman as he captured the demonstration on film.
Senior officers of provincial and central police converged on the trouble spot and finally broke the deadlock that continued for more than five hours by negotiating compensation for the deceased and a 10-day leave for the rest of the force.
Later, the protesting cops left for their hometowns in Punjab by especially arranged buses.