LAHORE, Nov 1: After the predictable nomination of Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali as the PML-Q candidate for prime minister on Friday, cooperation talks among various parties have entered a decisive phase, though it is not clear which party would align with whom.

Apparently, the deadlock in the formation of government will get more serious as Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal, the only major party inclined to join hands with the PML-Q under certain conditions, is now likely to toughen its stand further as it is not willing to compromise on the candidacy of Maulana Fazlur Rehman for the coveted post at any cost.

Only hours before the nomination of Jamali, MMA Vice-President Qazi Husain Ahmed said at a news conference that his alliance was prepared to join hands with either of the two major parties, the PML-Q and the PPP, whoever was ready to accept Maulana Fazlur Rehman as prime minister.

However, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said separately that the PML-Q decision would neither create any deadlock nor close doors for cooperation between the two sides.

He said the real issue that could lead to a further deadlock was that of the Legal Framework Order, which has already been taken up with Chaudhry Shujaat Husain. “We are now waiting for a response from him”.

A close associate of Makhdoom Amin Faheem, Nafees Siddiqui, said that no party was now in a position to have its candidate elected as prime minister. He said to run the country smoothly at a time when it was faced with so many internal and external challenges, there was a need for a government of national consensus.

He said the PML-Q, PPP, MMA and Muttahida Qaumi Movement should join hands to form government. Otherwise, he predicted, the country would be in great trouble.

The National Alliance leaders are due to meet in Islamabad on Monday to decide their future course of action.

Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, head of the Millat Party, a component of the National Alliance, told Dawn that though the NA had a broad understanding with the PML-Q, a final decision about the future course of action would be taken on Monday.

Differences between the ARD and the PML-Q are simply insurmountable.

ARD President, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, has said it time and again that the Alliance would never recognize Gen Musharraf as president or the constitutional amendments made by him.

He is trying his best to keep the PPP, PML-N and MMA together to form government or sit in opposition.

Observers say that the government formed by the ARD and MMA would not be able to co-exist with Gen Musharraf because of the wide differences between the two sides. And in case these parties decided to sit on the opposition benches, the government formed by the remaining parties would not be allowed to function.