By Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Charlotte Greenfield ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -At least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers, were killed on Tuesday during clashes near Pakistan's parliament between security forces and protesters who are demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Pakistan police said Wednesday they had arrested nearly 1,000 protesters who marched on the capital demanding the release of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan, after crowds were evicted from the city centre in a sweeping security crackdown.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that there were attempts to disrupt the peace of Islamabad, and accused Murad Saeed, of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), of orchestrating these disturbances,

The country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ruled out any negotiations, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed protesters for the soldiers’ deaths

A new audio clip featuring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan has surfaced, indicating widening rifts within the leadership of the Imran Khan-founded party.

The interior minister issued a detailed statement regarding the protest, rejecting the PTI's assertions regarding the killings of its workers.

Security forces clashed with protesters near Pakistan's parliament on Tuesday as hundreds of supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanded his release in demonstrations the government said have killed four paramilitary troops.