Islamabad: Ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto called for new elections in Pakistan on October 11 and alleged fraud in the counting of votes, as a slow count showed a massive swing to Islamic parties, a huge lead by a pro-government party, and fewer seats for her party than anticipated.

"I'm sorry to say vote counting was not done in a transparent manner. The regime engineered changes in the night," Bhutto told AFP in a telephone interview from London.

"The votes being announced are contrary to all the exit polls and on the ground realities."

Bhutto charged that electoral officials disappeared with ballot boxes for "two-to- three hours" after polling closed on October 10 in Pakistan's first general elections since the 1999 military coup.

"The votes disappeared, the boxes disappeared, the presiding officers disappeared all across Pakistan except North West Frontier Province in the first two or three hours when there should've been counting."

By 11:00 hours (GMT), the pro-government Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) had won 48 of some 150 national seats announced.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had secured 30 seats and the other chief Opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had won 12.