ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has offered to mediate between Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N to resolve the crisis triggered by disqualification of the Sharif brothers by the Supreme Court and imposition of governor’s rule in Punjab.

“I have offered my role as a mediator to normalise the situation,” the chairman of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Kashmir told Dawn after meeting President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday.

He quoted the president as saying: “The situation could have been handled if I had been contacted by the Sharif brothers before a violent campaign was launched by the PML-N against their disqualification.”

The maulana called PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and made the mediation offer.

According to government sources, President Zardari asked the JUI-F chief to bring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back to the negotiating table.

Expressing the hope for reconciliation between the two major parties of the country, Maulana Fazl said he would take Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain along in efforts to persuade the PPP and PML-N to end their differences.

He said both the parties had no option but to resolve their dispute through dialogue. “Are they waiting for the wrapping up of the democratic set-up before going for reconciliation and restoration of democracy?” he asked.

However, sources in both parties said the breach between them had grown so wide that it would be difficult for them to go for reconciliation.

“There is no question of dialogue unless the decision taken by the PPP is reversed,” PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said.

He said his party had made a sincere effort to resolve all issues between the two sides and the recent meeting of Shahbaz Sharif with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had given a clear message that the PML-N was ready to cooperate. “But our sincerity was reciprocated with the disqualification of Sharif brothers and imposition of governor’s rule in Punjab.”

“We want to rectify things and restore political harmony, but the ball is in PPP’s court and we are on the receiving end,” he said.

Mr Iqbal said that if the president wanted dialogue he should first reverse all his decisions.