Clinton talks to Zardari, Sharif

Amid an intense political standoff in Pakistan, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday spoke to President Asif Ali Zardari and Opposition PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif pressing them to settle the issue through negotiations to strengthen the country's democracy. Clinton told Zardari that the US was "keen to see a stable and democratic system strengthened in the country". Sharif has been locked in a bitter stand-off with the government since Pakistan's Supreme Court barred him and his brother, former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, from contesting polls and holding elected office. The Sharif brothers have, however, vowed to lead the protest to Islamabad and to stage a sit-in near Parliament. The government has already put the army on standby. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman quit on Saturday over differences on the government's handling of the media.