The move was the latest sign of the beleaguered government’s willingness to compromise to stay in power amid ongoing fears that the fragile ruling coalition could collapse and plunge the country into fresh crisis.

Gilani telephoned former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday and assured him that his government would accept the nine-point agenda of the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz).

An official statement from the prime minister’s house with a “most urgent” tag stated that Gialani telephoned Sharif and assured him of his acceptance to implement the PML-N agenda that includes implementation of Dec. 16, 2009 Supreme Court’s verdict on reopening of corruption cases both in Pakistan and in Swiss courts against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Sharif appreciated Gilani’s gesture terming it “political maturity.”

He added that all political forces have realized that being on the same page is better for the country.

The PML-N’s major demands include cutting the government’s expenditure by 30 percent, decreasing the number of ministers in the federal Cabinet, dismissing corrupt officials and reestablishing the election commission. The agenda also seeks a new accountability law, which follows the outline drawn up by the PML-N.

The PML-N’s deadline for the PPP-led government to accept its demands was set to end on Monday. In case of nonimplementation of its demands, the PM-N had called to sack PPP ministers from the Punjab Cabinet.