Pakistan was braced for further turmoil a day after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested and dragged from court in Islamabad and his supporters clashed with police across the country.
The 70-year-old opposition leader was expected in court on Wednesday for a hearing to determine custody arrangements.
Mr Khan, who lost power last year but remains the country’s most popular opposition figure, is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan.
His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called for demonstrators to remain peaceful hours after mobs, angered over the mid-trial arrest, set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore.
Mr Khan was appearing in court on multiple charges brought by Islamabad police on Tuesday, when dozens of agents from the National Accountability Bureau backed by paramilitary troops stormed the courtroom, breaking windows after the opposition leader’s guards refused to open the door.
The arrest deepened the political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations in which at least one person was killed in the southwestern city of Quetta, and dozens were wounded in various parts of the country.
Mr Khan’s supporters attacked the military’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital, Islamabad, but did not reach the main building housing the offices of the army chief General Asim Munir.
Other demonstrators tried to reach the prime minister’s residence in Lahore but were driven off by baton-wielding police, while others attacked vehicles carrying troops and hit armed soldiers with sticks.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, senior vice president of Mr Khan’s party, appealed for peaceful demonstrations on Wednesday, urging “don’t damage public property, don’t attack offices, as we are peace lovers”.
Mr Qureshi said the party was considering challenging the arrest in the supreme court.
“I urge our party members to please continue peaceful protests, but do not attack public property, and do not do it.”
Speaking on Wednesday morning, police said at least 2,000 protesters were still surrounding the fire-damaged residence of Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghani, chanting slogans including “Khan is our red line and you have crossed it”.
Lt Gen Ghani and his family were quickly moved to a safer place when the mob attacked their house on Tuesday.
Police deployed in force across the country, and placed shipping containers on a road leading to the sprawling police compound in Islamabad where Mr Khan is being held.
Mr Khan was due to appear before a judge in the same compound later on Wednesday, in a temporary court placed there for security reasons, according to a notice from the government.
Amid the violence on Tuesday, Pakistan’s telecommunication authority blocked social media, including Twitter.
The government also suspended internet service in the capital of Islamabad and other cities.
Classes at some private schools were cancelled for Wednesday.
Human rights group Amnesty International said it was alarmed by reports of Pakistani authorities blocking access to mobile internet networks and social media. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were suspended in the country for a second day.
The group has urged authorities to show restraint, saying clashes between law enforcement and Mr Khan’s supporters risked human rights violations.
As the violence spread, diplomats from various countries, as well as residents, stayed at home.
The US embassy in Islamabad cancelled all its Wednesday consular appointments following Mr Khan’s arrest and issued a nationwide alert, telling Americans to review their personal security plans and avoid large crowds.
The British High Commission warned of further disruption in the country.
