Leaders of Pakistan's new coalition will meet this week to settle differences over the restoration of judges dismissed by President Pervez Musharraf who could reopen legal challenges to his rule.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto signed a coalition pact last month with the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after they defeated Mr Musharraf's allies in February 18 polls.

A major element of the pact was the restoration of judges Mr Musharraf sacked after he imposed emergency rule in November.

But despite the agreement, the two main coalition parties do not see eye to eye on the issue.

Mr Sharif, the Prime Minister Mr Musharraf overthrew in a 1999 coup, made the restoration of the judges the main plank of his election campaign and is pushing hard for them to get their jobs back.

If reinstated, the judges are expected to take up challenges to Mr Musharraf's rule that could end up with the president losing office.

The PPP has been less adamant on the restoration of the judges, who include the former supreme court chief, partly because, analysts say, the judges might take up a challenge to an amnesty Mr Musharraf introduced in October that cleared graft cases against Bhutto, her husband Asif Ali Zardari and others.

Officials of both parties said Mr Zardari, Mrs Bhutto's political successor, will meet Sharif this week in Islamabad to resolve the issue.