Top Pakistani politician predicts coalition government

Islamabad: A senior politician has predicted a coalition government consisting of rival parties Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q).

Shaikh Rashid Ahmad, a former federal minister and senior vice president of the PML-Q, said he has been expecting a split result of the polls with a low turn out of voters.

In an interview with Gulf News, Ahmad said the polls on Monday will open up a new tussle for coalition politics in the National Assembly.

Ahmad is one of the close associates of President Pervez Musharraf and the Senior Vice President of the PML-Q, which is commonly known as the king's party.

The politician also said the elections will be fair. "I am sure the elections will be impartial and fair. Rigging is not a requirement of Musharraf," he said.

He said that the wave of violence in the country will dent the overall turnout of voters. "I am expecting a low turnout as compared with the previous elections," he said.