Karachi: Pakistan's self-exiled ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto has summoned top Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leaders to Dubai for talks amid growing doubt at their chances of sitting in government, party officials said on October 18.

"I don't know what the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Muttahidda Majlis-e- Amal (MMA) have decided in their meetings, but it appears they have reached a consensus to form government," said PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar, referring to the pro-government PML-Q and the Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal Islamic parties' alliance.

"In that case we will sit in the Opposition," Babar said.

PPP Parliamentary leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim was to head to Dubai on October 19 to brief Bhutto on his marathon negotiations with other political parties.

"Bhutto will take the final decision after consulting party leaders in Dubai," Babar said.

Despite winning the largest number of seats in the hung Parliament after the October 10 general elections, neither the PML-Q, backed by President Pervez Musharraf, nor the anti-Musharraf PPP achieved a majority. Both parties have separately been courting the new power brokers, the fundamentalist Islamic MMA, to join a coalition.

The PPP's Fahim has been lobbying for "government of national consensus" which would see five parties, including PPP, PML-Q and MMA, join hands in government.

But PML-Q leaders have said they favour inviting MMA to form a governing coalition, saying, "It's better to have them in government than in Opposition".

AFP