ISLAMABAD Nov 2: Talks between the PML-Q and MMA reached a deadlock on Saturday when Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who had held negotiations with the government during the last few days, failed to satisfy the MMA’s demands on the LFO.

The MMA leadership described as “too trivial” what Chaudhry Shujaat conveyed to it following his talks with President Pervez Musharraf in the last couple of days.

Sources close to the PML-Q’s parliamentary party leader said that the power brokers in the government had advised Chaudhry Shujaat to concentrate on the number of MNAs supporting the party.

Besides, sources said, the government had been advised not to change the floor-crossing law as things were already turning its way as a good number of the MNAs had shown willingness to vote for the PML-Q’s nominee for the prime minister’s office.

Chaudhry Shujaat and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the PML-Q’s nominee for the Punjab chief minister’s office, held an hour-long meeting with Qazi Hussain Ahmed on Saturday. Prof Khurshid Ahmed, Liaquat Baloch, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri and Pir Ijaz Hashmi of the MMA also took part in the talks.

Chaudhry Shujaat urged the MMA leadership to show flexibility in their attitude to avoid a deadlock or “any untoward occurrence”.

Talking to newsmen, Chaudhry Shujaat alleged that Nawaz Sharif and his family were sabotaging whatever understanding the politicians and the military government were trying to reach at. He said the Sharif family wanted to take revenge on their political rivals at the cost of national integrity.

“We have asked the MMA leadership to distance itself from the ARD leadership which is trying to disengage the MMA from dialogue and settle the issues in the spirit of give and take,” Chaudhry Shujaat said.

Sources confided to Dawn that the government had offered to negotiate on matters other than the National Security Council and Article 58(2)B. The MMA leaders said that neither they nor the ARD would accept the offer.

Chaudhry Shujaat claimed that he had achieved ‘40 per cent success’ in getting flexibility in his negotiations with the government officials on the contentious issues, like the LFO.

He said he was confident that a middle way could be found on the LFO provided all parties softened their stances.

Qazi told newsmen that Chaudhry Shujaat had come up with quite trivial and preliminary things which “we have listened to and since they are not final we will react after discussing them among ourselves”.

He said Chaudhry Shujaat had been assigned to hold talks with the government by the major parliamentary parties “so we will consult with them before coming back to the PML-Q leader”.

In reply to a question whether the MMA would accept a president in uniform, Qazi said: “Under a democratic dispensation there is no place for an undemocratic office”.

Qazi said that talks with the PML-Q leader did not cover the formation of the government.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Shujaat held meetings with Millat Party chief Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari and discussed with him the matters concerning the formation of the government.