The leaders of separate mass protests in Islamabad, Tahir ul-Qadri and Imran Khan, have agreed to negotiate with the army in a bid to resolve the country's political crisis within 24 hours.
Qadri, a populist cleric, told his followers at the Islamabad protests that "the army chief has asked us to give him 24 hours to solve the crisis."
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, the head of the opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf (PTI) party, echoed Qadri's remarks shortly afterward.
Qadri and Khan have led protesters into Islamabad's government district to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Sharif said on August 27 that he would not resign. But he cancelled a planned to trip to Turkey on August 28 to deal with the political crisis.
Based on reporting by Reuters and dawn.com
