ISLAMABAD - Leaders of the allied parties of PPP-led coalition government on Thursday set afoot plans to launch a formal consultative process from the next week, January 21, about the formation of a caretaker government. Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf chaired the meeting of the coalition partners which discussed a host of issues, notably a caretaker set-up and Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march. Sources said the meeting, attended by leaders of the ANP, MQM and PML-Q, and some federal ministers, discussed at length the overall political situation, and law and order with its main focus on threats to democracy and upcoming elections.The meeting resolved to counter these threats firmly to ensure smooth a democratic transition on completion of the five-year term of the present assemblies. It expressed satisfaction on the outcome of the joint meeting of the opposition parties, hosted by PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, in Lahore on last Wednesday. It is expected that the prime minister may contact the opposition leader in the National Assembly this Monday to discuss the modalities relating to the caretaker set-up, according to the sources. The meeting also agreed that political forces outside Parliament would also be taken on board in the consultations. It resolved to hold general elections in the country, including FATA, within sixty days after the completion of five-year term of the incumbent government on March 16 this year.Also, the meeting discussed the long march of Dr Tahirul Qadri and his supporters, his charter of demands calling for electoral reforms ahead of the elections, and decided not to use force against them. After thorough deliberations on the matter, the prime minister constituted a four-member committee to hold talks with Dr Qadri and resolve the issue in the interest of democracy. This committee will be headed by PML-Q President Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Afrasiab Khattak, Farooq Sattar, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Khurshid Shah will be its members. Besides, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira has been designated as government spokesperson to speak about the issues relating to Dr Qadri’s long march.Later, talking to a group of reporters, Kaira said the government together with the democratic forces will take steps for the stability of the democratic process. The minister also said that the next elections would be on time and there would be no delay. Regarding the demands of Dr Tahirul Qadri, the minister said the government did not delay the negotiation process with the Minhajul Quran International chief. “The problem is that Dr Qadri keeps on changing his position on his demands”, he added.The prime minister had, Kaira said, after consultation with Senator Abbas Afridi and MNA Munir Orakzai issued instructions to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to ensure law and order in FATA and resolve the problems of the protestors. He said the meeting expressed grief and sorrow over the killing of MQM MPA in Karachi and strongly condemned it. He said the prime minister had directed the provincial government to immediately arrest the culprits involved in this terrorist act.