Pakistan premier to be named

PAKISTANIS will learn who their next prime minister will be on Monday, when the National Assembly reconvenes to elect the leader of the incoming coalition government.

President Pervez Musharraf, who has few allies left in the assembly after their defeat in an election on February 18, has asked the assembly to meet on March 24, spokesman Rashid Qureshi said.

Musharraf, who came to power as a general in a coup in 1999, appears increasingly isolated, and there is speculation over how long the US ally will be able to hold onto power.