ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that contacts were under way with all democratic forces to form a government of national consensus.

Addressing a news conference after presiding over a meeting of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee, Mr Zardari said his party stood for changing the system and, for that purpose, a government of national consensus was necessary.

Declaring that he was not a candidate for the post of prime minister, he said a senior PPP leader would be chosen to head the new government.

He said that although the PPP could form a government in Sindh without the support of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, he wanted the MQM to join the government to promote reconciliation in the province.

“Although some members of my party have reservations about joining hands with the MQM, I want the party to form a government with the MQM.”

Senior party members Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Badar, Raza Rabbani, Naveed Qamar, Ms Sherry Rehman and Farhatullah Khan Babar were present on the occasion.

Mr Zardari said he would meet PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Thursday evening.

Answering a question, the PPP leader denied there were differences within the party over the prime ministerial candidate.

He said his party was even ready to sit in the opposition if it failed to take all parties along on the issue of government formation.

Sources in the party told Dawn that there were differences over the issue of joining hands with President Musharraf. A group of party hardliners was against any cooperation with President Musharraf.

The sources said that this group had even suggested that it would be better to sit in the opposition than to join hands with President Musharraf.

On the other hand, the sources said, there was a group which wanted the party to form a government. Members of this group, the sources said, were of the view that they had contested the election to form a government to solve the problems of the people. Moreover, they said, the party had been out of power for more than 11 years and, therefore, it should form the government to serve the people.

Mr Zardari said he had held talks with Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and PKMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai. He said the PPP wanted to hold talks even with those people who had taken up arms in Balochistan.

Answering a question about the demand of lawyers and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif about the reinstatement of deposed judges, he said it was not an issue of mere reinstatement of a few judges but of making the judiciary independent and autonomous in real terms.

“Restoration of judiciary is part of the issue, but there is a greater issue and that is whether it is independent or not. We cannot achieve anything in piecemeal manner. What will we achieve through reinstatement (of judges)?” he asked, giving a clear indication that his party had a different approach on the issue from that of the PML-N.

Referring to his meeting with the US ambassador earlier in the day, he said the United States wanted to give “democracy bonus”. He denied that the US had given any suggestion about the future government.

The PPP leader alleged that efforts were still under way to change the election results in some constituencies. He asked the Chief Election Commissioner to stop such activities.

He reiterated his demand for immediate release of detained judges and Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah said in a statement that a meeting of the parliamentary party in the National Assembly had been summoned on Friday while meetings of the parliamentary parties of Punjab and the NWFP Assembly had been summoned in Islamabad on Saturday. Meetings of the parliamentary parties of Sindh and Balochistan assemblies are scheduled for Sunday at Bilawal House in Karachi.