As protests demanding that the Pakistani government resign continue for the 13th day, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Army Chief Raheel Sharif to resolve the issue "expeditiously in the best national interest," according to Reuters.
The meeting was one of many the two leaders have held in recent weeks over the impasse, said a senior source at army headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, Reuters reported.
Pakistan has been gripped by peaceful anti-government protests demanding Sharif's resignation this month, with thousands of demonstrators camped outside parliament in a country that has experienced a succession of military coups, Reuters reported.
"They are discussing solutions," said the official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to talk to reporters, according to Reuters. "This situation is very alarming for the army. We are dealing with mobs. What if things get violent?"
Protesters led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and firebrand cleric Tahir ul-Qadri have vowed to occupy the capital, Islamabad, until Sharif resigns, a demand the premier has firmly rejected, Reuters reported.
Thousands of protesters are now camped out in the heart of Islamabad, but the gathering has a festival-like atmosphere, according to Reuters.
Security forces protecting nearby installations have not used force to disperse the crowds, Reuters reported.
On Monday, the supreme court ordered protest leaders and the government to find a compromise solution so that the protest area, home to parliament, the prime minister's home, embassies and government offices, could be cleared by the following day, according to Reuters.
Protesters defied the court's orders and stayed put for the 13th day on Tuesday, scattering the area with garbage as a putrid smell of human waste and rubbish hung in the air, Reuters reported.
Police at the site said some of their colleagues had fallen ill due to the smell, according to Reuters.
"It is impossible to be here sometimes, the smell is so bad," said constable Ahmed Ali, Reuters reported. "If the revolution is coming, let it come already. Everybody wants to go home."
