Despite a last-minute US mediation, the leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition have failed to reach a deal on restoring deposed judges, increasing the probability that ministers belonging to former premier Nawaz Sharif's party might quit the Cabinet on Monday.

Ahead of the deadline set by PML-N to reinstate the judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf [Images], US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher met PML-N chief Sharif and PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari here separately in a last-ditch attempt to bridge their differences on the vexed issue.

However, Sharif stuck to his gun that they were committed to restoration of the sacked judges by May 12. Boucher was on his way back home from Dhaka.

Sharif Left for Islamabad tonight and will preside over a joint meeting of the party's central working committee and parliamentary party meeting on Monday morning.

PML-N sources said in all probability, members belonging to the party might quit the coalition ministry tomorrow but maintained that the alliance government would not fall.

Representatives of the two main ruling parties held parleys here through the weekend following similar talks in Dubai but a breakthrough on the issue eluded them even afterseveral rounds of negotiations.

Husain Haqqani, one of the negotiators for the PPP, said, "We are still trying to take this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."
Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif who was involved in the talks, said both sides had made sincere efforts to come to an agreement.

"We will support the government issue to issue.  We will not let the government destabilise. I pray we could iron out these differences and give a good news to the nation tomorrow."

The two parties earlier missed an April 30 deadline to resolve the matter.

Sharif, a former prime minister ousted by a bloodless coup by Musharraf in 1999 has pressed for the President's ouster and demanded outright restoration of the sacked judges.

But Zardari has linked the judges' reinstatement to the implementation of broader judicial reforms.

While the PML-N has been pushing for the judges to be restored by tomorrow by passing a resolution in parliament, the PPP has not committed itself to this deadline.

The two parties also have serious differences over retaining judges who were installed during the emergency after swearing an oath of allegiance to Musharraf.

The PPP wants these judges to continue in their positions while the PML-N has said they could be retained on an ad-hoc basis and the deposed judges, including former Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, should be allowed to decide their future. One of the key stumbling blocks has also been the question of return of Chaudhry as Chief Justice.