Pakistani PM, Ukranian president call off Ankara trip

ISLAMABAD — The Associated Press

File photo of Pakistan's PM Sharif speaking with the media during a news conference in New Delhi. REUTERS Photo

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cancelled plans to attend Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s presidential inauguration in Turkey on Aug. 28 due to a crisis at home.

A fiery Pakistani cleric, who has been leading a mass rally outside Parliament demanding Sharif’s resignation, says he has “shut the door” on further talks with the government.

Tahir-ul-Qadri emerged today from late-night talks with government representatives to tell his followers early that the talks have failed. The negotiations intended to find a peaceful solution to a crisis that has raised fears of political instability in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko scrapped a visit to Turkey and convened a top security meeting after claiming Russian troops have been sent into Ukraine.
     
"I have taken the decision to cancel the visit to Turkey due to the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Donetsk region, particularly in Amvrosiyivka and Starobesheve, as Russian troops have been sent into Ukraine," Poroshenko said in a statement.