Pakistan begins talks to end protest crisis

Pakistani ministers and opposition politicians met anti-government protesters on Wednesday, but talks ended for the day with the sides appearing no closer to resolving a week-long political crisis that has rattled the restive, nuclear-armed nation. Thousands of followers of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have been demonstrating outside the parliament building in Islamabad, trying to force Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office. Khan and Qadri say last year's general election that swept Sharif to power by a landslide was rigged and are demanding his resignation. Late Wednesday Khan's team met with government negotiators in Islamabad to discuss his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's demands. ‘We put our demands before the government team and they promised to get back to us on Thursday after examining them,’ PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters after talks. Khan had earlier struck a defiant note, insisting Sharif must resign before he would participate in negotiations, according to AFP.