Pro-Musharraf party concedes defeat

Opposition parties dealt a crushing electoral blow to allies of President Pervez Musharraf, a private TV network reported today, winning enough seats to form a new government that could threaten the eight-year rule of America’s close ally in its war on terror.

The chairman of the pro-Musharraf party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, conceded defeat, telling AP Television News that “we accept the results with an open heart” and “will sit on opposition benches” in the new parliament.