By Ravi Velloor

Pakistan's victorious parties discussed a new coalition government that holds out hope of checking an unpopular president, with the word on most lips being 'reconciliation', at least for now.

From President Pervez Musharraf to his nemesis Nawaz Sharif, and Asif Ali Zardari, who now leads the party of his assassinated wife Benazir Bhutto, the talk is about sharing power, restoring the judiciary and press freedoms.

There is also mention of forgetting the past.

"It is up to the leaders of the various parties to seize the opportunity," Senator John Kerry, one of three US senators monitoring the Pakistan elections, said after meeting all three key men on Tuesday.

"It is not about the past, it is about the future."

The senators said even Musharraf, who stepped down as army chief just three months ago, seemed ready to work with any government thrown up by this week's political process.

However, there is no indication that he is prepared to step down, as demanded by Zardari and Sharif.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published yesterday (Feb 20), Musharraf said he had not contemplated resigning yet.

"No, not yet. We have to move forward in a way that will bring about a stable democratic government to Pakistan," he said.

Dawn Television of Pakistan reported yesterday that Zardari had held talks with key aides of Musharraf on likely coalitions and potential candidates.

They advised the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader to avoid going into a coalition with Sharif, it said.

However, Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for the PPP, denied that such a meeting took place.

"The party is currently discussing various options available to it," he said.

Zardari was tentatively set to meet Sharif, once a bitter rival of the Bhutto family, today (Feb 21), as they groped for a common programme that would facilitate a coalition government.

It would be their first face-to-face meeting since the election results.

Although neither were candidates in Monday's polls, Zardari is not barred from taking on the prime ministership. However, yesterday he ruled himself out as a future prime minister, indicating that a senior member from within the party would be considered for the post.

Sharif, a two-time prime minister, on the other hand, is currently affected by a ruling that bars people from a third term. However, that could be overturned by the judiciary that he is seeking to restore.

If appointed, Sharif would need to be elected to the national assembly within six months of taking office.

"Both parties have come a long way. Leaders in both groups have suffered greatly and there is a realisation that the bitterness of the past has to be buried to prevent another military dictatorship," said a senior PPP member.

A day before the election, Zardari had talked of the need to 'band together' or risk losing the nation.

Saying he would not point fingers at the forces behind his wife's assassination, he added: "I don't want to say revenge is my motto, because it is not."

But that may be easier said than done as the current euphoria fades in the run-up to the formation of a government.

One sticking point is that Zardari, while agreeing that the 60 Superior Court judges arrested in early November should be released, is ambiguous on restoring them to their posts.

Sharif needs them reinstated to improve his chances of overturning earlier court decisions unfavourable to his political future.

Some analysts think an alliance between Zardari's PPP and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N will not stick. The PPP has not held power for 11 years and Sharif for eight and both are eager to have it now.

"There is no way the two can jointly form coalition governments at the federal level in Islamabad and state level in Punjab without bitter quarrels and conspiracies against each other," wrote editor-in-chief Najam Sethi of the Daily Times, an independent newspaper.

Meanwhile, in his first official comments after Monday's vote, Musharraf yesterday called for a "harmonious coalition in the interest of peaceful governance, development and progress of Pakistan", according to a Foreign Ministry statement.