Chaudhry Shujaat said he would consult his party, but indicated that it could come to the prime minister's rescue.

"We will support them on one condition — that they will solve the problems being faced by the people of Pakistan.

"We do not want to blackmail them. We talked about all issues namely the reformed general sales tax bill, inflation, unemployment and the anti-blasphemy law," he told reporters after the meeting in Lahore.

The political turmoil was sparked on Sunday when coalition partner the Muttaheda Qaumi Movement (MQM) quit the government to join the opposition. The move severed the government's majority in the National Assembly.

Gilani met Chaudhry Shujahat after  meeting President of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Shahbaz Sharif, who refused his party's support to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led crumbling coalition.

The meeting between Gilani and Shahbaz Sharif Monday failed to end the crisis facing the government, which has been reduced to a minority after the MQM quit the coalition.

The two leaders met for nearly two hours at the prime minister's residence a day after the MQM walked out from the government over price hikes.

Shahbaz Sharif will discuss Gilani's proposal with the PML-N central executive committee that is scheduled to meet in Islamabad Tuesday, the report said quoting sources.

Earlier, in an ironic twist, Gilani Monday sought the support of the (PML-Q), the second largest opposition party in Parliament, to shore up his coalition.

The PPP has 125 members in the National Assembly, 47 short of a simple majority to keep the government in office. It has the support of the Awami National Party's 13 lawmakers, five from the Pir Pagara-led Functional League and around 17 independent members. The PML-N has 90 members.

Though there seems to be very thin chances of any breakthrough in these meetings, some officials say nothing can be ruled out.

In the best case scenario, the PML-N can stay away from any move to dislodge Gilani's government even if it doesn't support it.

"We will neither support Gilani in case of any no-trust move against him nor derail the  democratic process," Shehbaz Sharif said, adding, "We will not render our parliamentary  support to Gilani."

Experts say Sharif's unwillingness for midterm elections at this stage and fears for a military takeover can prove a breather for the PPP-led government.

Gilani's canvassing began soon after the MQM announced Sunday that it was withdrawing support to the ruling coalition. The MQM pullout came after Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) quit the coalition last month and went into opposition because Gilani sacked one of its ministers.

The party repeated its call for Gilani's resignation and said it ruled out rejoining the coalition.

"Gilani has no moral grounds to stay in power. He should step down himself instead of someone else throwing him out," said deputy party leader Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

However, President Asif Ali Zardari threw his weight on Monday behind beleaguered Gilani against any attempts to destabilize his government.

The opposition has not yet sought a no-confidence vote against Gilani in Parliament but analysts said that was the biggest worry for the prime minister as he scrambled to shore up support.

"(Zardari) has full confidence in Prime Minister Gilani and solidly stands behind him in foiling any attempt to destabilize the coalition government," presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a statement.

The government is 12 seats short of the number it would need to survive a no-confidence vote.

"From this point onward, the government will be on crutches. The no-confidence vote is a threat for it," said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency.

Analysts say they do not expect the military to intervene, although that could not be ruled out if the situation degenerated into chaos. The military has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history.

— Input from agencies