DHAKA: Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a joint session of parliament on Tuesday as a deepening crisis over mass protests demanding his resignation prompted fears of an army intervention.

Sharif had called the session and he had been expected to address it on Tuesday but as members of parliament streamed into the assembly, his office clarified that the proceedings would last all week.

‘Everyone will be given a chance to speak and after that he may address the parliament,’ a Sharif spokesman said, reports The Straits Times.

Pakistan has been in turmoil since mid-August when tens of thousands of protesters led by Imran Khan, a former hero cricket player, and outspoken cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, gathered in the capital Islamabad refusing to leave unless Sharif resigns.

BDST: 1628 HRS, SEP 01, 2014