Pakistan government, protesting parties to resume talks

The Pakistan government and the two protesting parties have agreed to resume talks to resolve the 57-day-old political impasse, media reported Friday.

The opposition jirga (council of elders), which met again, made the announcement Thursday night, Dawn online reported.

Jirga leader and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said the jirga would first meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Monday.

A jirga member has said that all the three sides - the government, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) - had shown interest in resuming the dialogue that was severed last month.

The talks between the government and the protesting PTI and PAT were suspended for over a month because of workers' arrests on the orders of the government.

The protests led by PTI's Imran Khan and PAT chief Tahir-ul-Qadri began Aug 15 in an attempt to overthrow Nawaz Sharif, whom they accuse of rigging the 2013 general election.