ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: Leaders of Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N, the major partners in the ruling coalition, failed on Tuesday to resolve their differences over the lingering issue of reinstatement of the deposed judges and on providing indemnity to former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

Sources told Dawn that Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan saved the day for the coalition by offering to play the role of a mediator between the two parties after PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif refused to relax their stand on the judges’ issue.

Mr Sharif insisted that all deposed judges, including Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, should be reinstated immediately through an executive order in accordance with the Murree Declaration signed by the two parties in March, whereas Mr Zardari sought more time.

The sources said it was due to the intervention of the ANP president and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman that the PML-N had agreed to wait for another 72 hours for the judges’ reinstatement.

The coalition leaders will meet again on Friday and Mr Asfandyar and Maulana Fazl are expected to come up with a solution.

Tuesday’s meeting was also attended by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and MNA from Fata Munir Orakzai.

Maulana Fazl indicated that the two major coalition partners were at loggerheads over the issue of judges. “The two parties (PPP and PML-N) are facing difficulties and we have asked them to let us to play a role,” he told reporters outside the Zardari House where the coalition leaders had been meting since Monday following the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf.

Asfandyar Wali told reporters that since his party was not a signatory to the Murree Declaration and not privy to the negotiations held between the PPP and the PML-N in the past on the judges’ issue, he had sought three days’ time to discuss the matter with other leaders of his party.

He, however, denied that there was a deadlock.

It is interesting to note that Federal Law Minister Farooq Naek before going to the Zardari House for the meeting told reporters outside the Parliament House that a solution to the judges’ issue would come out by Tuesday evening. PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had announced on Monday that the issue would be resolved in 24 hours.

According to the sources, the coalition leaders also discussed the issue of providing indemnity to the actions of former president Pervez Musharraf and giving him a safe passage.

Mr Sharif categorically told Mr Zardari that his party would not become a part to any move at any forum to provide indemnity to the former president’s actions. He said his party also did not support the idea of providing ‘safe passage’ to Gen (retd) Musharraf.

However, the sources said, the leaders of three other coalition parties had adopted a soft stance on the issue of providing a safe passage to Gen (retd) Musharraf.

Mr Sharif said he had no personal vendetta against Mr Musharraf, but if he was given a safe passage it would keep the door open for future adventurers.

Mr Zardari, the sources said, had agreed to Mr Sharif’s assertion but told him that there was tremendous pressure on the PPP to provide a safe passage to the ex-president.

On the judges’ issue, Mr Sharif said his party had always showed generosity and several times agreed to extend deadlines. He assured Mr Zardari that if his party fulfilled the promise of restoring the judges, the PML-N was ready to consider the PPP’s proposal for curtailing powers of the chief justice.

According to the sources, Mr Zardari told Mr Sharif that a large number of lawyers who had association with the PPP believed that the judges could not be restored simply through an executive order. Moreover, Mr Zardari also feared that deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry could cause problems for the government if he tried to use his suo motu powers.

A press release issued by the PPP’s media centre after the meeting downplayed the differences and said the coalition leaders had met to discuss issues pertaining to the strengthening of democracy and political stability after the departure of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

It said that leaders of the ANP, JUI-F and Fata sought three days’ time to consider the agreements reached between the PPP and PML-N on restoration of the judges.

“The meeting acceded to their request to discuss the issue of restoration of judges in their respective parties’ meetings,” it added.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said he was confidant that the issue of restoration of the deposed judges would be resolved.

Amjad Mahmood in Lahore adds: PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq claimed that talks between the coalition partners broke down after the PPP insisted on indemnifying all actions of former president Pervez Musharraf before reinstatement of the deposed judges.

“The PPP wants us to support it first in legalising the actions of Gen (retd) Musharraf while it is not ready to give any timeframe for restoration of the deposed judges,” Mr Haq told Dawn from Islamabad.

“It (PPP) sought more time for reinstatement of the judges arguing it was a very complicated issue.”

He said Mr Sharif had shown a written statement of Mr Zardari to Mr Asfandyar Wali and Maulana Fazlur Rehman in which the PPP co-chairman had promised to restore the judges within 24 hours of the removal of Musharraf from office.

He said Mr Zardari had suggested that both the incumbent Chief Justice, Abdul Hameed Dogar, and deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry should go.

Mr Haq claimed the PPP leader had said he would persuade Justice Dogar to resign and asked the PML-N to get the same assurance from Justice Iftikhar. But Mr Sharif refused and told Mr Zardari that he was free to get the assurance from Justice Dogar.