ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Pakistani leaders failed Sunday to reach a deal on restoring judges dismissed by President Pervez Musharraf, increasing the likelihood that the ruling coalition could shatter after just six weeks in power, plunging the country back into political turmoil.

Negotiators from the two main ruling parties held talks in London throughout the weekend, before a self-imposed deadline today to resolve the issue. But officials said Sunday night they were heading back to Pakistan without a deal.

Representatives of the junior party, that of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said members would meet today to consider whether to stay in the coalition. The party has already threatened to quit the Cabinet.

Sharif's brother Shahbaz said both sides had made sincere efforts to come to an agreement. He downplayed the possibility of an all-out opposition stand.

"We will support the government issue to issue -- we will not let the government destabilize," he said. "I pray we could iron out these differences and give good news to the nation tomorrow."

Husain Haqqani, one of the negotiators for the larger party, that of Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto, said the two sides "are still trying to take this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."

Musharraf removed the judges and declared emergency rule in November to halt legal challenges to his presidency. Anti-Musharraf parties came to power after winning February elections and promised to restore the judges.

But they have quibbled on the mechanics.

Sharif, who was tossed out by Musharraf in a 1999 coup, has pushed for the president's ouster and demanded outright restoration of the deposed judges. A return of the judges could increase pressure on Musharraf, who has long been a U.S. ally, to step down if the courts decide to revisit his eligibility for office.

But Zardari, who has been less harsh toward Musharraf, has linked the judges' reinstatement to broader judicial reforms. Complex legal and political issues, including the status of the judges Musharraf installed after the purge, have proved stumbling blocks to a deal.

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