DHAKA: Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan on Thursday called off talks with the government aimed at ending protests seeking the fall of the prime minister, which have destabilised the nuclear-armed nation.

Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have led followers protesting outside parliament for the past two days demanding prime minister Nawaz Sharif quit.

Talks to end the standoff, which began a week ago with ‘long marches’ from the eastern city of Lahore, started on Wednesday but made little headway.

Khan insists the May 2013 General Election, won in a landslide by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party, was rigged, despite independent international observers judging it free and credible, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1841 HRS, AUG 21, 2014