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Musharraf rejects calls to quit amid talk of coalition rule

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf rejected calls to resign as opposition parties yesterday mulled a coalition government that could force the key US ally from power after Monday's vote.

Nawaz Sharif, the man Musharraf removed from office in a 1999 coup, and the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto both said they wanted to work with other opposition groups. Sharif urged Musharraf to quit, while Asif Ali Zardari said he would not work with anyone associated with the party that backed Musharraf in the last parliament.

Zardari might meet with Sharif today, said Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for Bhutto's party.

Central executive committees of both parties were also to hold separate meetings yesterday, with contacts between the two sides expected.

Asked by the Wall Street Journal whether he would resign or retire, Musharraf said: "No, not yet. We have to move forward in a way that we bring about a stable democratic government to Pakistan."

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