Pak opposition says progress made in talks with govt

Negotiations between the embattled Pakistan government and protesters on Monday made "some progress" even as opposition leader Imran Khan stuck to his demand of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation to end the 26-day political impasse that has paralysed the nation.

Another round of talks between the government and Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf was held in the capital on Monday. The PTI's negotiating team included vice president Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Jehangir Tareen whereas the government's team included Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid.

Following the latest round of talks, government negotiators left the venue without speaking to reporters. But Qureshi said that "some progress had been made between the two sides but disagreement still pertained on two core issues". However, he did not elaborate on the issues of contention. e said that the conduct of the PTI in the negotiations was very much positive, adding that they wanted to end the deadlock.

He said the PTI had demonstrated flexibility during talks and added that they wanted to strengthen democracy, even more than before. Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have been protesting in front of Parliament since August 14 to force the prime minister's resignation over alleged rigging in the 2013 general election won by Sharif's PML-N party.

Monday’s meeting came a day after the negotiating teams met on Sunday and claimed that "progress had been made" but  admitted that there were still certain "core issues" that needed to be resolved. Qureshi on Sunday had declared that "meaningful dialogue has begun" and that both sides were making "serious efforts to rescue the nation from the prevailing impasse."

As talks made some progress, Khan continued his attack on the government, accusing several politicians of being beneficiaries of rigging in last year's general election. He also named Chief Minister of Balochistan province Abdul Malik, who is considered as a "clean" politician in Pakistan, among the leaders benefiting from rigging.

Khan, while addressing his supporters outside the Parliament, said he will not go back without forcing Premier Sharif to resign and asked his party leaders to bring more people to the sit-in.