ISLAMABAD, May 17: Fresh efforts have been launched by the civil-military establishment to woo the PPP Parliamentarians, offering the party a package deal envisaging the release of Asif Ali Zardari and some concessions to Benazir Bhutto, sources claimed.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a senior MMA leader and member of the joint government-opposition committee on constitutional issues, described such moves as efforts at sabotaging the talks that were at an advanced stage.

Talking to this reporter, the MMA leader said although he was not aware of any such move, mysterious activities were going on all around suggesting that the powers that be had once again started hatching conspiracies.

The sources claimed that the proposed deal, besides giving concessions in the NAB cases to Mr Zardari against his assurance that he will not leave the country, also offers a timeframe for Benazir’s homecoming.

Under its terms, the joint government-opposition committee’s recommendations will have to be confined to the points on which both the sides had already reached a consensus, while the contentious issues concerning the president’s uniform and his discretionary powers will need be left untouched.

Apart from the exchange of signals at home, some key officials have recently visited London to discuss the proposed deal with Benazir Bhutto, the sources claimed, adding that the PPP Parliamentarians would, however, be required to first show flexibility in the talks on the LFO before a deal could be struck.

Meanwhile, a scheme has been forwarded by Khawaja Tariq Rahim, a former Punjab governor and a friend of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, for convening the lower house without waiting for a consensus on the LFO. He is said to have proposed that the annual budget be presented and passed during this session, ignoring attempts by the opposition to disrupt the proceedings.