Pakistan has rejected as "untrue" EU charges that the voting process in the elections was flawed, as ananti-US Islamic alliance loomed large over a new hung parliament.
Accusations that authorities interfered with the electoralprocess were "indeed unfortunate. This is just not true," astatement released by the Ministry of Informationsaid.
A preliminary report by the 88-strong European Union observerteam said yesterday the interference resulted in "serious flaws" inPakistan's first general elections since President Pervez Musharrafseized power in a coup in 1999.
"There was no such policy or plan," the government statementsaid.
The head of the EU observer mission Mr John Cushnahan charged thatcandidates had unequal access to state media, that a government banon political rallies curbed freedoms, and called the ElectionCommission's impartiality into question.
The "allegation against the person of the president as having'imposed serious restrictions on campaign activities' together with(a local official) is baseless," the government said.
Meanwhile, parties today began weighing their future in the newnational assembly, which saw a radical Islamic alliance score big,but gave no single party an absolute majority.
The hung parliament ensures that horsetrading among the variousfactions is about to begin, analysts said.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), founded only 18 monthsago, led the other parties on 78 seats. It was followed by bannedex-premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) with 63seats.
The surprise success of the six-party Islamic allianceMuttahidda Majlils-e-Amal (MMA, or United Action Front) is what hasreally changed the political landscape in Pakistan, however.
The MMA took advantage of strong anti-US sentiment, followingthe bombing of Afghanistan and the US-led war on terror, which manyhere say is unfairly targeted at Muslims.
It increased its share to 45 seats, a ten-fold boost over thelast general elections in 1997, when Islamic parties unable to putaside their differences took only four seats in the assembly.