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04/25/2024 10:09:20 am

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Pakistan Holds Dialogue With Opposition Protest Leaders

Pakistan protesters

(Photo : REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood) Supporters of Mohammad Tahir ul-Qadri, Sufi cleric and leader of political party Pakistan Awami Tehreek, wearing protective gear, stand outside the parliament house in Islamabad August 20, 2014.

Protest leaders Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan held initial talks with Pakistan officials to carry out their demands and resolve the week-long demonstrations against the government.

Some sources said the initial talk came after Pakistan's Chief General Rasheel Sharif appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government to negotiate with thousands of protesters outside the parliament.

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Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar of Punjab province said that the talks were amicable. The final decision of the committees will be for the best interest of the country, Sarwar added.

Cabinet minister Ahsan Iqbal confirmed on Thursday about the initial talks and said it will continue until they find solutions to the political crisis.

The opposition presented six demands to the government including PM Sharif's resignation, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a senior leader of Khan's party, said. Based on some sources, other demands consist of issues on electoral reforms, creating a custodian government and top election commission officials dismissal.

After the deliberations, Parliament lawmakers adopted a resolution rejecting the unconstitutional demands of the oppositions. They vowed to uphold the supremacy of Pakistan’s constitution and the parliament’s sovereignty.

The government would not allow the democratic setup to get deterred, said Aftab Sherpao, a Sharif ally.

The talks ended without any resolution to the political crisis. Khan declared that there would be no negotiations unless Sharif resigns.

The opposition accused Sharif of electoral fraud in last year’s election. Protesters keep staging demonstrations to force the incumbent prime minister to step down from his post.

Some sources indicated that Khan and Qadri’s twin protests paralyzed the country's government and raised questions about Pakistan's democratic stability.

The demonstrations began last week in city of Lahore then the protesters moved to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital.

The protesters reportedly breached barriers and infiltrated the Red Zone, where the parliament, prime minister's office and most foreign embassies are located.

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