s Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafurullah Khan Jamali held talks with President Pervez Musharraf and senior leaders of former Premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to work out a deal in order to secure comfortable majority for his government in Parliament.

Jamali of Pakistan Muslim League - Quaide Azam (PML-Q) held lengthy discussions with Musharraf on December 9 over political developments in the country after he met a four-member delegation of PPP, led by its leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

During his talks with PPP leaders, he discussed a host of issues, including the formation of PPP government in southern Sindh province as well as future political co-operation to help his government at the Centre to get confortable majority.

Jamali's government is currently surviving on one-vote majority in the 342-member National Assembly.

Referring to Jamali-Fahim meeting, PPP sources said issues pertaining to formation of government in Sindh remained in focus of the discussion, amid speculations that the Jamali government and PPP were trying to reach an understanding to tide over the political crisis.

Their meeting took place in the wake of a one-to-one meeting between Fahim and Musharraf on December 8, local daily 'Dawn' reported.

In their meeting with Jamali, PPP leaders presented fresh proposals to work out co- operation between their party and the ruling PML-Q at the Centre as well as formation of its own government in Sindh, it said. The Sindh Assembly is due to meet on December 12.

During the meeting, Fahim also conveyed his reservations over the government's effort to cause defection among the PPP ranks and emergence of a faction under the nomenclature of the PPP Patriots.

Fahim demanded that all the PPP defectors be withdrawn from the federal cabinet for paving a way for co-operation between the two parties, the paper said. Six of the 10 defectors have been rewarded with Ministries in Jamali's cabinet.

Both PML-Q and PPP have to settle a host of differences before deciding on a long- term co-operation.

Bhutto wants Jamali government to either withdraw all the cases against her and her spouse Asif Ali Zardari or provide a fair trial to get their names cleared. On the immediate count, she wants a safe passage to return home from her self-exile in order to take part in active politics.

If the talks succeed, the Jamali government could secure comfortable majority as PPP has 70 elected members in the National Assembly.

PTI