Anti-Musharraf coalition emerges

Pakistan: Pakistan's two main opposition parties agreed to work together yesterday to form a government after their election win, raising the prospect of a coalition intent on forcing President Pervez Musharraf from power.

Mr Musharraf has signalled that he has no plans to step down, despite the defeat of his allies in Monday's election by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

Mr Sharif made his comments at a joint news conference with Ms Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, following talks between the two men in Islamabad.

Mr Zardari, who has led the PPP since his wife's assassination on December 27th, said he wanted a "government of national consensus" that excluded the main pro-Musharraf party. It came a poor third in the election.

Mr Zardari said that he and Mr Sharif would hold further talks. "We intend to stay together, we intend to be together in parliament."

Mr Sharif, ousted by Mr Musharraf in 1999, repeated his call for the president to step down and said he and Mr Zardari agreed on all points.

President Musharraf outraged many Pakistanis when he declared a six-week period of emergency rule in November and purged the judiciary, detained activists and gagged the local media.

But in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday, Mr Musharraf said he was not ready to resign.

Washington has urged the next government to work with the president. Washington needs Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan where US and Nato-led forces are fighting Islamist militants, as an ally.

- (Reuters)

© 2008 The Irish Times

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