ISLAMABAD April 10: The Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) is close to strike a deal with the military government over its outright support to the referendum which would elect Gen Pervez Musharraf as President for the next five years.

The MQM leadership has already announced its partial support to the referendum by allowing its voters to vote if they want to in favour of Gen Musharraf’s election.

An understanding to this effect was reached at a recent meeting of an MQM delegation with Gen Pervez Musharraf as details were yet to be finalized, the sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

The sources said that a prominent MQM leader, Ms Nasreen Jalil, and some other leaders of the MQM held a number of meetings in the federal capital with powerful government representatives during the last couple of days. The meetings were being kept a top secret and even the stay of the MQM leaders has not been disclosed to media men. According to sources, a package is being considered at top level to provide the MQM with incentives befitting to its support for the success of referendum in Karachi and some other urban areas of Sindh where the movement had its roots/vote bank.

The deal, the sources close to officials working on the package said, included release of MQM workers in phases as one of its former ministers Shoaib Bokhari under detention for the last over two and a half years has been released. Some cases of minor nature would also be withdrawn against some top leaders of the MQM, the sources revealed.

When asked whether the deal would include withdrawal of cases against Altaf Hussain or allowing his return to home, the sources said, that aspect was neither included in demands nor was under consideration of the government at least for the time being.