LAHORE, Feb 16: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal is waiting for Nawaz Sharif to instruct his party leaders to cooperate with the religious alliance in the anti-Musharraf movement.

It is learnt that PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif, during his meeting with the MMA leaders in Jeddah, had urged the latter to work with his party for restoration of 1973 Constitution and removal of Gen Musharraf from power.

MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad and secretary general Maulana Fazlur Rahman had, reportedly, separately called on Mr Sharif at his Jeddah residence on the eve of Eidul Azha, when both religious alliance leaders had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.

The leaders had told their host that as the PML-N local leadership was not cooperating with them, so there was no question of launching a joint movement against Gen Musharraf.

Mr Sharif, who had been ousted by Gen Musharraf in a peaceful military coup on Oct 12, 1999, had assured the MMA leaders that he would instruct his party back in Pakistan to work jointly with the religious alliance for the drive, sources said.

But the sources added that the PML-N patron had not yet issued any directions in this regard to the local leaders here despite the passage of almost a month since this assurance.

Political observers say the reluctance on the part of the PML-N in joining the anti-Musharraf movement may be a result of the clandestine contacts made by the government with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in the ongoing reconciliation bid. However, PML-N parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Rana Sanaullah and Muhammad Mahdi say that the party is fully prepared to join the movement, and will not enter into any reconciliation deal with the government.

They said Mr Sharif, during a recent meeting with Ms Bhutto, had pledged to work for restoration of complete democracy, and he would not compromise on anything less than that.

Meanwhile, sources in the PML-N claim that Mr Sharif has directed the local leaders but they have expressed some reservations on cooperation with the MMA. The sources also say that the PPP influence on the local PML-N seniors, especially the former's cooperation in the by-polls for NA-127 with the latter's nominee, is another factor behind this reluctance. It may be mentioned that Ms Bhutto has categorically refused to go with the MMA.