Amid mounting worries about the future of President Pervez Musharraf, the PML-Q, which had backed him, fired the first salvo against the beleaguered leader last night, saying his decision to impose emergency was responsible for its “disastrous” performance in the February 18 polls. The party, which bagged 39 parliamentary seats, is to shortly hold an extraordinary meeting here apparently to prevent possible defections of its elected representatives.

During their 30-minute conversation, Zardari and Hussain discussed the possibility of forming a coalition government at the centre and in Sindh. They said their parties would cooperate with each other and the modalities for power-sharing will be discussed at a later stage. Both leaders agreed to cooperate unconditionally to strengthen democracy in the country.

Meanwhile, PML-N leaders, seeking anonymity, said the party is strongly opposed to the entry of pro-Musharraf MQM in a coalition. They said Zardari might be reaching out to MQM to form a stable government in his home province of Sindh, where Hussain’s party has also performed well. Some PPP leaders are not in favour of roping in traditional rival MQM for forming coalition governments at the centre and in Sindh. Slain PPP leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto loyalist Makhdoom Amin Fahim is the frontrunner to become the next prime minister.