Pervez Musharraf could seek refuge in London after dramatically resigning as president of Pakistan, senior security sources said today.

Mr Musharraf quit to avoid impeachment charges drawn up by his country's civilian government. Western diplomats in Pakistan said he may now head for Saudi Arabia on a Muslim pilgrimage but that London could be his ultimate destination.

Leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition were meeting today to discuss their next steps. The coalition, led by the party of the late Benazir Bhutto and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, held talks yesterday in the capital, Islamabad, which proved inconclusive.

If Mr Musharraf is granted a "safe exit" and not taken through the courts, he might go into exile in Saudi Arabia or Turkey. His preferred choice would be to stay on his five-acre farm near Islamabad but he risks prosecution and becoming an assassination target for Islamic militants.

Mr Musharraf was automatically replaced by caretaker president Muhammad Sumroo, speaker of the Senate and a political ally of the former president, who will lead the country until a new election is held by parliament.

It is unclear whether Mr Musharraf will face prosecution. Pakistan's law minister said the government had not struck an immunity deal with him.

Farooq Naek said coalition leaders had yet to make decisions on " accountability" for Mr Musharraf. The second-biggest party in the government has said he should be tried for treason, which could lead to the death penalty. "There is no deal with the president,"