ISLAMABAD, March 11: The Bush administration conveyed through Pakistani embassy in Washington that the US President planned to call President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday night, sources close to the Aiwan-i-Sadr told Dawn.

The expected call, in line with the current US policy of phone call diplomacy, has apparently been prompted by Prime Minister Jamali’s declaration a day before that his government would be against war on Iraq.

It was unclear whether the phone call from the White House, seen as the last ditch effort to earn Pakistan’s support to the forthcoming US resolution at the UN Security Council would be made before or after Jamali’s address to the nation on Tuesday night.

Officials in the loop of US diplomacy on the Iraq crisis linked Bush’s call to optimism within sections of the US administration. They said while the government seemed decided on abstention on a second US resolution on Iraq, some within the official circles believed that Pakistan should go with the Americans.

“After all some of Pakistan US-based diplomats in the US have advocated that Pakistan be on the right side of the Bush administration,” said a senior official. He said their view was that Pakistan needed the US support on nuclear issue, Kashmir and economic development and hence it should support the resolution.

Another group within the government which seemingly has had more influence on government’s decision on the US resolution on Iraq has argues that history and common sense make it clear that Pakistan has to stand on the “no-war” side. It points to the building of coalition of strong states like France, China, Germany and Russia around the rule of law as the foundation for a future world order. It has pushed for dialogue and diplomacy route to end the current crisis.

Marathon sessions on Pakistan’s dilemma on the Iraq-US standoff and hectic institutional consultations at the highest level led to the government’s announcement on Monday that it would not support war against Iraq.

Significantly, the foreign office’s institutional view has consistently been in favour of Pakistan’s abstention on any fresh US against Iraq at the UN Security Council (UNSC). In an unprecedented move the foreign office had sought the opinion of Pakistani envoys posted in world’s key capitals on the Iraq issue. Almost all advised that Pakistan should not vote on the resolution, Dawn learnt through informed sources.

President Pervez Musharraf, seen as the man to take the final decision on Pakistan’s vote at the UNSC, was given high-level briefings almost on daily basis by the foreign office and military establishment.

They ranged from comprehensive presentations in the Hamza camp in Rawalpindi to the high-powered meetings in the foreign office that were also attended by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali.