Troops disarm police around PM house, Sharif told not to leave

ISLAMABAD, Oct 12 (AFP) - Police around Pakistan Prime Minister Mawaz Sharif's house have been disarmed and troops have told him not to leave, a senior police official said late Tuesday.

State-run television also went off the air late Tuesday after troops entered the building following the dismissal of Pakistan army chief general Pervez Musharraf by Sharif, witnesses said.

Troops have also taken over security at the airports, sources here said.

Troops have also been deployed at the main government secretariat and witnesses said.

The army was also guarding the gates of the television station while police were manning traffic outside, witnesses said.

Later mobile telephones also stopped working here, sources said.

In Lahore troops have been deployed outside the governor's house in the main province of Punjab, witnesses said, adding the army was also surrounding the city's airport.

Sources in Karachi said Musharraf flew back to the country from Colombo late Tuesday amid a heavy military presence.