Pakistan's Musharraf rejects opposition calls to quit

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf rejected demands to quit Wednesday and called for a "harmonious coalition" as victorious opposition parties mulled a grouping that could force the key US ally from power.

Musharraf was making his first official comments since Monday's crucial parliamentary vote, which left him fighting for his political life after his allies suffered a heavy defeat.

"The president emphasised the need for harmonious coalition in the interest of peaceful governance, development and progress of Pakistan," a foreign ministry statement said.

But at a press conference later Wednesday the husband of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto alleged that Pakistani authorities were withholding election results and attempting to...