Pakistani opposition to form government

Pakistanis voted for change and the country's two main opposition parties have reached agreement to give them just that: a national government comprising the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of assassinated former PM Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League-N of former PM Nawaz Sharif.

But the combined opposition lacks the required number of seats to try to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, whose role has been diminished by the election result.

The two secular parties were main rivals long before Musharraf seized control in a 1999 military coup and jailed Sharif, who was the elected prime minister.

Bhutto, who had been the head of government before Sharif, had gone into self-imposed exiled to escape charges of corruption.

Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower, and Sharif made the announcement after meeting in Islamabad.

"We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form a government together in the center and in the provinces," Sharif told reporters. He said a smaller group, the Awami National Party, would join them.

"The future of democracy is within our grasp. We will strengthen the parliament, we will strengthen democracy, we will work together for Pakistan. We will make a stronger Pakistan," Zardari said.

Bhutto's PPP won 87 seats of the 268 seats in National Assembly. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N won 67 and the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q got 40, with the rest going to smaller parties and independent candidates.

The election was seen as a referendum against Musharraf whose military ruled was unpopular with Pakistanis, especially religious groups that saw his close relationship with the United States as a threat to the country's sovereignty.

Washington supported Musharraf primarily because he was the only leader in the region with the clout to help the United States in its battle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.

America tried to broker a political deal involving the governing establishment and Bhutto, who was acceptable to the United States. But that fell through as Musharraf pressed on with his own agenda to consolidate his position and win re-election.

He engineered his victory for a second five-year term as President, promising to take office as a civilian. He kept that pledge after handing over his military command to a handpicked successor.

But in an effort to prevent his election declared unconstitutional he imposed a state of emergency, fired independent judges in the Supreme Court and put severe restrictions of the media. The 'friendlier' justice confirmed his election and he assumed power as a civilian.

But the emergency rule, the continued victimization of his political opponents and a clampdown on the media caused his popularity to plummet. Bhutto's assassination in December made matters worse, causing large-scale rioting that led to the postponement of the vote from January to February 18.

On the eve of the election it was clear that there was a groundswell of support for the opposition.

And while many people stayed home because of fear of violence, enough Pakistanis ventured out to register their disapproval of Musharraf and mark their ballots for a return to democratic rule.

In the United States, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said U.S. officials are telling opposition forces that moderates should work together to fight extremists and move toward democracy.

Both opposition parties have considered negotiating with the extremists rather then relying on military force.

Zardari said the new government's first act would be to ask the United Nations for help in uncovering who was behind his wife's killing.

U.S. and Pakistani officials have accused Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud of masterminding the assassination, but many Pakistanis suspect Pakistani intelligence services may have been involved.

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