ANTI-GOVERNMENT protesters stormed Pakistan’s state television building today, forcing the channel briefly off the air as they clashed with police and pushed closer to the prime minister’s residence.

Protesters and police clashed in various areas of the Red Zone, a sprawling complex of government buildings and grassy lawns in the centre of Islamabad.

Protesters armed with clubs, many wearing gas masks, hurled rocks at police.

Five police officers, including a senior Islamabad police chief, and three protesters were taken to hospital, bleeding.

The protesters made it to a gate that surrounds the prime minister’s residence, where they were met by paramilitary Rangers and army troops.

Inside the state TV building, the protesters moved through the corridors with sticks and clubs, smashing equipment as employees looked on.

Several rounds of negotiations between representatives of the protest leaders — cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan — and the government have failed to make any headway.

The two opposition leaders allege widespread fraud in the country’s May 2013 election, but international observers found no evidence of tampering and Mr Sharif has refused to step down.

Rumours swirled around the capital Islamabad yesterday after several television stations reported that the military had forced Mr Sharif to leave office, something the army later called “totally baseless.”

It was also rumoured that the government had opened treason investigations against the two protest leaders.

At the TV building, senior official Athar Farooq said 20 cameras went missing as protesters overran the station.

“The intruders seemed well trained” and were taking instructions over mobile phones during the break-in, he claimed.

Another senior TV official claimed the intruders also destroyed computers and other equipment and fought with employees.

Mr Khan distanced himself from those who stormed the TV station.

“We have not asked anybody to enter any buildings, they are not our people,” he insisted.