Pakistani cleric says talks with government failed

A fiery Pakistani cleric who has been leading a mass rally outside parliament demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation said on Thursday that he has ‘shut the door’ on further talks with the government. The development was a worrisome sign in the already troubled negotiations between the Pakistani government and the opposition amid a lingering crisis that has raised fears of political instability in this nuclear-armed country of 180 million people with a history of political turmoil and military dictatorships. The cleric, Tahir-ul-Qadri, and Pakistan's cricket-star-turned-politician Imran Khan have been leading mass rallies for two weeks in Islamabad. The demonstrations initially locked down Islamabad and disrupted life and business in much of the city. Lately, the rallies have mostly fizzled out but the crowds, which are camped out near the parliament and administration buildings in the heart of the city, still surge, especially in the evenings, according to AP.