Islamabad, July 18: Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali has summoned opposition leaders for a crucial meeting next week to resolve a constitutional crisis that has crippled Parliament, a minister said today. The meeting is expected to take place on July 25-26, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told media persons.

The last talks between government and the opposition held in May failed to break the deadlock over changes made by President Pervez Musharraf to Pakistan's constitution prior to last year's general election. Pakistan's federal Parliament has been crippled by noisy protests and boycotts staged by a loose alliance of secular and Islamic opposition parties since its restoration in November.

The opposition is demanding that Musharraf, who appointed himself President after a bloodless military coup in October 1999, surrender self-appointed power, his post as army chief and submit to a standard presidential election.

The pro-Musharraf coalition led by Jamali holds a slender majority in the 342-member Parliament. Bureau Report