KARACHI, Oct 20: Makhdoom Amin Fahim, chief of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, who returned from Dubai after consultations with Benazir Bhutto on Sunday, said that he had got the mandate of the PPP chairperson to make serious efforts for forming a government reflective of people’s aspirations.

Asked what were the chances of striking a deal with those parties who had a totally contrary agenda, Mr Fahim said that in the larger interest of the nation a consensus has to be evolved and mandate of others have to be respected.

When contacted by Dawn in Lahore, the Parliamentarians chief said the objective of the ARD components was also to provide a stable democratic dispensation and he, too, was striving for the same. “I am not oblivious of the mandate we have been given by people.”

Asked about the nomination of the leader of the House in the provincial assemblies, he said that as and when these decisions were taken, they would be made public. All things, he said, would be clear when the Central Executive of the PPP would meet in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Mr Fahim’s air dash to Lahore and meeting with ARD chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan thee is being seen as an attempt to find a middle ground between the ARD and his own perception on the formation of the government.

PPP sources said the meeting was perhaps at the behest of Ms Bhutto.

According to sources, in view of the opposition of many newly elected representatives of her party to being part of the federal government with parties, seen as proxy of the military regime, Ms Bhutto had saddled Mr Fahim with a bag of alternatives. One of them is perhaps to coordinate with the ARD, which indirectly limits his options.

These sources believe that the Ms Bhutto’s suggestion to Gen Pervez Musharraf to withdraw amendments and instead put them before parliament for consideration, could be one of the alternatives to enable Mr Fahim to be successful as it would not only meet the requirement of the ARD components but also the hardliners within the party. Ms Bhutto had given the suggestion on Saturday.

Such a move would not only facilitate in the formation of a stable government at the Centre, but would also make parliament strong, the sources said.

It appears that Mr Fahim has been advised Ms Bhutto to convince Nawabzada on the former’s vision of a government of national consensus and national unity.