Zardari keen to hold talks with Sharif: Pak envoy to UK

Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari is keen to have a dialogue with opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and is awaiting a "positive response" from him to resolve the current political crisis, Islamabad's high commissioner here said on Sunday.

"Zardari wants to begin a dialogue with Sharif and the president has sent a message and is looking forward to some sort of positive response from Sharif," Wajid Samsul Hasan told the Sky News.

Asked whether the Pakistani army would take advantage of the situation, Hasan said "I don't think the army is in a position to get involved because they don't want to get involved. They have too much on their plate at the moment."

"The army have a full-fledged war against terrorism. The concern of the whole nation is that this situation could be taken advantage by terrorists to create law and problem and bloodshed in the country."

Pakistan plunged deeper into a political chaos as a defiant Sharif joined by tens of thousands of supporters in Lahore was headed towards Islamabad for a mass sit-in front of Parliament on Monday.

The former premier defied a house arrest order as one of Pakistan's biggest civil disobedience movement unfolded with hundreds of stone-throwing anti-government protesters fighting pitched battles with police in the capital of Punjab province.