ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: Soon after his arrival in the capital on Wednesday evening from Lahore, President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain contacted the leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and expressed his desire to resume talks, sources told Dawn.

The sources said that Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Liaquat Baloch were expected to visit the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Thursday morning in response of the latest contact established by the government.

When contacted, the deputy parliamentary leader of the MMA, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, said he was planning to visit Chaudhry Shujaat’s residence only to inquire about his health.

Meanwhile, another source told Dawn that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had contacted the MMA after holding a meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf. He said Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had also talked to Maulana Fazlur Rehman by telephone.

The government-MMA contact was established soon after a meeting of the steering committee of the religious alliance in which it finalized the protest plan after expiry of the December 17 deadline.

In a related development, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali visited the residence of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain late Wednesday night and enquired about his health.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the political, regional and international situation. Matters pertaining to the ongoing dialogue with the MMA also came up for discussion.