Deposed military ruler HM Ershad is also in Saudi Arabia now and is due to return home by September 8.

Jamaat Ameer and Industries Minister Motiur Rahman Nizami will leave for UK shortly on a visit and return home by the middle of this month. Majlish-e-Shura, the highest policy making body of Jamaat, will then meet to decide the party stand on inclusion of the JP in the alliance fold, said Abdul Quader Molla, Jamaat assistant secretary general.

Sources said Jamaat might budge from its seemingly inflexible stance on the entry of Ershad's party into the four-party coalition.

Talking to The Daily Star on Wednesday, Quader Molla said, "Have we ever sworn in the name of Allah that we will not let him (Ershad) enter the alliance? Moreover, he is yet to confirm his decision to join the coalition."

He however said Jamaat had expressed lack of interest in Ershad's joining the alliance at a meeting with Prime Minister and BNP chief Khaleda Zia on August 23.

The Jamaat leader predicted that the Awami League (AL) would 'definitely' contest the next general election. " Participating in the election, they (AL) will explain that the alliance comprising fundamentalist leader Matiur Rahman Nizami, and deposed and corrupt military ruler Ershad must not be elected," he said.

At the August 23 meeting, top Jamaat leaders discussed with the PM some 'crucial issues'. Later, the executive body of the party sat twice to fix the date for shura meeting to take decisions on those. But both the meetings ended inconclusively amidst heated debate, sources said.

Responding to a query, Quader Molla said, "We have never opposed Ershad's entry into the alliance although he has serious credibility crisis and he is very unpredictable. He says one thing now and alters it moments later. But I won't deny that we would bargain on seat-sharing in the next election as we have established a formidable party network throughout the country."

Claiming that his party has the strength to vie for all the 300 seats in parliament, he said this time they would pressurise for more seats than they ran for in the last polls.

The party high-ups are now busy holding 'moral training camps' across the country, he said.

Asked if the BNP chief was daunted by intelligence report that the ruling alliance's position is remarkably volatile, the Jamaat leader said, " We know nothing about the report. We asked her to consolidate the existing alliance only."