[1]Islamabad: An armed lunatic brought Islamabad to a standstill for six hours after he started firing near parliament, demanding that Shariah be implemented in Pakistan.
The man, along with his wife and two children, had reportedly drove into the Red Zone, breaching all barriers leading to the area, the Daily Times reports.
The armed man, who had fired at least five random shots at the Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, was arrested by security forces on the directives of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, who had ordered the police to catch him alive.
The police also took the armed man's children and wife into custody. The episode began with the man, identified as Sikandar, entered into the Red Zone in a car at around 5pm on Thursday and opened fire.
The police and Rangers cordoned off the area following the panic created by the 'dangerous' man dressed in black. The police also rushed towards him and tried to convince him to lay down the arms.
Sikandar, in no mood of negotiating with 'junior cops', asked for police high-ups to come in for talks. When they did, he made a demand that Shariah law be established in Pakistan.
After more than six hours of the drama, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Zamurd Khan stepped in for negotiations. He approached the family, shook hands with the children, and suddenly tried to grab Sikandar.
The man freed himself and opened fire on the politician, who managed to take the children away from the line of fire. The police then finally acted swiftly and got hold of the armed man, who was also injured in the attempt.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/gunmanjpg-559