ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) after a marathon party heads meeting on Tuesday agreed to the government’s request to give it a two-day reprieve for finalizing the constitutional package.

Though both sides claimed to have achieved a breakthrough, the general impression was that the talks could not be termed successful unless the president himself gave his concurrence to the proposals that emerged in the 5-hour long discussions relating to his army cap and the LFO.

Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who led the government coalition parties heads in the talks, will meet President Gen Pervez Musharraf along with other party leaders in the next two days to get his approval on the proposals the two sides were thought to have formulated.

During the talks, the MMA conceded to the government that the president may take fresh vote of confidence from the electoral college instead of getting elected afresh. The process of vote of confidence will be supervised by the Election Commission of Pakistan, MMA sources said.

Talking to the electronic media representative at the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Jamali described the atmosphere as cordial, and said that “things were moving forward in a positive way as a follow-up to the Lahore talks”.

He said: “We have sought two days for our consultations from the MMA which has been granted.” He promised good news to the nation.

MMA’s Liaqat Baloch claimed that the two sides had achieved a positive breakthrough on most of the contentious issues of the LFO.

He told waiting reporters at the outer gates of the PM house that the government team will seek the president’s nod on the cutaway date of December 2004 as well as the proposed recourse to the electoral college for getting a vote of confidence.

Earlier, when the government and the MMA resumed their final round of talks, speculation was rife that the two sides would finally narrow down their differences and move towards a settlement.

The talks continued beyond midnight and progressed without any hitch but there was an exchange of some harsh words between the two sides on the controversial statements issued by Prime Minister Jamali, especially the one he made in Hyderabad.

Those who attended the talks were PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, National Alliance chief Farooq Leghari, PPP (Patriots) chief Rao Sikander Iqbal, MQM’s parliamentary leader Syed Safwan Ullah, NA’s senator Abdul Razzak Thaem besides leaders of MMA Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Samiul Haq, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Liaqat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

Mr Baloch said the talks were held in a highly congenial atmosphere with a spirit of mutual understanding during which all the contentious matters were discussed.

He said: “It was the last round of talks as far as the MMA was concerned and we will keep the nation abreast of whatever was transpired in the talks.”

He said the alliance had offered maximum flexibility and now the ball was in the court of Gen Musharraf.

THE MMA LEADER ADDED: “We would like to give the good news which the nation was waiting so anxiously.”