Musharraf 'trails in elections'

The balloting was aimed at bolstering democracy and ending a year-long political crisis, but fear and apathy kept millions of voters at home.

Despite 24 election-related deaths being reported, the country was spared the type of violence that scarred earlier stages of the campaign - most notably the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

Final official results were not expected until late on Tuesday, but state-run television gave the two main opposition parties commanding leads in early unofficial tallies, a trend conceded by President Pervez Musharraf's ruling Muslim League-Q party.

"As far as we are concerned, we will be willing to sit on opposition benches if final results prove that we have lost," party spokesman Tariq Azeem said. "This is the trend."

While Musharraf was not on the ballot, the election was widely seen as a referendum on his leadership, including his alliance with the US in the war on terrorism, which many Pakistanis oppose. His opponents could force him to step down if they win a two-thirds majority in the legislature.

Two close political allies - the chairman of the ruling party and the outgoing railways minister - were among those who lost seats in Punjab, the most populous province and a key electoral battleground.

Musharraf's popularity plummeted following decisions late last year to impose emergency rule, purge the judiciary, jail political opponents and curtail press freedoms.