ISLAMABAD, Oct 27: The tri-party talks between Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam), Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians on formation of government have entered in a decisive phase as they finally seem prepared to announce their strategy in the next couple of days, informed sources told Dawn on Sunday.

Liaquat Baloch, deputy chief of Jamaat-i-Islami and a member of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal team, said in Lahore on Sunday that the alliance team would give final shape to its recommendations tomorrow. He confirmed that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal team was scheduled to meet PPP Parliamentarians chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) parliamentary leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

While the MMA team led by Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani has indicated that it would give final word most probably after Monday’s talks, the PPP Parliamentarian leader Makhdoom Fahim has also expressed similar views.

The leaders involved in these parleys had left for their home towns, they are expected to reach the federal capital by Monday morning.

Similarly, the MMA team is also scheduled to meet Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian president Makhdoom Amin Fahim to wrap up the two-week-long intense talks.

When asked about the newspapers reports that the MMA would give its final response to both parties on choosing any one of them, Liaquat Baloch said no such decision had been taken as the talks were still to continue with both parties scheduled for Monday.

In the meantime, an Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal source said both major parties were trying to woo the alliance on their terms as none of them was in a position to form government with either.

He said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leadership was ready to choose sitting on the opposition benches and has discussed this issue threadbare and has found favourable to join the religio-political alliance but the problem was that the other two parties were poles apart on making coalition.

The political observers give credence to the reports that establishment had agreed on the nomination of Mir Zafarullah Jamali as Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) prime ministerial candidate. This option would probably be acceptable to the MMA too.

Meanwhile, the PML-Q is still faced with a daunting situation as its top brass is clearly divided on question of naming its candidate for the prime minister.

While Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has been elected parliamentary leader, backing Mir Zafaruallah Khan Jamali, the group led by Mian Azhar is opposed to Jamali’s nomination and was trying to reopen the issue in the party for making amends to it.

Sources close to the Shujaat have indicated that he might announce the party nominee for the top slot before going in meeting with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.