By Aamir Latif
ISLAMABAD
Beleagured Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected calls to resign while asking the opposition leaders who have brought Islamabad to a standstill to help him resolve the country’s political deadlock.
On Thursday Sharif invited Imran Khan and Tahir ul-Qadri to discuss their demands, while spurning their insistence that he stand down. Earlier talks broke down over claims of the government's "aggressive behavior."
“Accepting Imran Khan and Dr Tahir ul-Qadri ‘s demands simply means plunging the country into a crisis,” Sharif told reporters in response to an opposition announcement that their supporters, who have occupied the capital for a week, would not leave until Sharif quits over alleged electoral fraud.
Sharif, who is facing a serious political crisis 14 months after he was elected to a third term as premier, added: “Eleven out of 12 political parties in the parliament stand alongside the government. We will never compromise on the people’s mandate.”
Sharif, who was toppled in 1999 in a bloodless military coup by Pervez Musharraf, brushed aside claims that he might bow to opposition demands to end the crisis.
Referring to Kham and Qadri’s support respectively, he said: “The [supporters of] Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehrik may sit in Islamabad for a period of their choice. The government has no plans whatsoever to crackdown against them.”
Earlier Pakistani lawmakers passed a resolution supporting Sharif and urging him not to step down. Both the government and opposition benches vowed to jointly defend parliament.
Sharif said: “We are always ready for talks because it is the only way to resolve a crisis. But let me make it clear that public’s mandate will never be compromised.”
Thousands of activists from former cricketer Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party are staging a sit-in outside parliament, demanding Sharif’s resignation. Khan agreed to earlier talks after the military called for a peaceful settlement. The protests have raised fears that prolonged instability could lead to the army intervening and possibly re-establishing military rule.
Khan's supporters have been joined by those of cleric Qadri, who wants the removal of Sharif and an end to electoral politics.
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