Pakistan's powerful military has called for talks to resolve a week-long political drama as tens of thousands of protesters marched on parliament in a bid to depose the prime minister.

Men, women and children of all ages staged a sit-in outside the parliament building after defying a government ban on entering Islamabad's "red zone", which houses key buildings in the capital, including the official residences of the prime minister and the president and foreign embassies, the AFP news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Tahir ul-Qadri told his protesting supporters camped outside parliament on Wednesday not to allow anyone in or out of the assembly, which is in session with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in attendance.

"Don't let all those inside come out and don't let anyone go in," the cleric told his supporters outside parliament in the capital, Islamabad.

Despite the mounting pressure, Sharif's party said he would not quit, while the army called for a negotiated settlement.

The twin protests led by a famous cricketer-turned-politician and a popular cleric have brought people into the streets, raising fears of unrest in the nuclear-armed US ally with a history of military coups and dictatorship.

"Situation requires patience, wisdom and sagacity from all stakeholders to resolve prevailing impasse," army spokesman General Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Twitter.

He said the government buildings in the so-called red zone were a "symbol of state" and were being protected by the army.

Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), and Qadri have led days of protests demanding the resignation of Sharif.

They say last year's general election was rigged, and have piled pressure on the government, starting with two-day "long marches" from the eastern city of Lahore to Islamabad, where they have held five days of rallies.

The government had banned them from the red zone, but Khan and Qadri defied the call, and soon after midnight on Wednesday thousands of their supporters entered the high-security area, using cranes to remove shipping containers put in place to seal off the area.

(Aljazeera)