LAHORE, Jan 19: Contrary to the stance taken by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, has expressed qualified readiness to hold talks with President Pervez Musharraf provided he makes sure that the elections will be free and fair.

“If Musharraf becomes neutral and promises to hold the polls in a free and fair manner, talks can be held with him,” the Pakistan Muslim League-N president said in an interview broadcast by the BBC Urdu Service on Saturday.

Mr Shahbaz has been in London since Jan 16 for a medical check-up while President Musharraf is also scheduled to reach there shortly.

During his stopover in London, before formally starting his tour of various European countries, the president will be having no official engagements except visiting his old friend, Brig (retd) Niaz Ahmed.

The PML-N chief had met Brig Niaz at his Islamabad residence a few days ago.

A source in the PML-N said that Shahbaz Sharif had called on British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Thursday and the agenda of the meeting was finding some way out for a patch-up between President Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif, paving the way for the formation of a government of “national consensus”.

Nawaz Sharif has been calling for the resignation of President Musharraf before agreeing to join any unity government.

On Friday, Saudi ambassador Ali Awdh Al-Asseri called on Nawaz Sharif and delivered an “important message” from Riyadh. Sources said the former prime minister was urged to shun “confrontational politics”.

Although both Mr Musharraf and Mr Shahbaz have ruled out any direct contact between them in London, political observers see the softening of stand by the PML-N president as a step towards a possible settlement between the two sides.