Islamabad: Attributing the strong showing by Pakistan's hardline religious parties in general elections to "fraudulent" poll process of President Pervez Musharraf's government, exiled former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif questioned the credibility of the polls.

Bhutto, whose Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) was on a neck to neck race with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) supported by Musharraf, expressed serious concern over the strong showing by the six pro-Taleban religious party alliance Muthahida Majlis-e- Amal (MMA) which has won in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and emerged as a strong political force in Baluchistan Assembly and National Assembly.

"It was because of pre-poll rigging and tampering with the ballot boxes that religious parties have won in Balochistan and the Frontier Province," Bhutto was quoted as saying by local daily 'The Nation'.

She ruled out any alliance with MMA to form a government at the Centre saying that there was "a wide gulf" between the PPPP and the religious parties vis-a-vis their policies.

MMA is expected to win over 35 seats in the national Assembly.

The religious right had emerged victorious in the NWFP and Balochistan because of the marginalisation of mainstream political parties by the military government, Bhutto said, adding, "I am concerned at the rise of the religious parties."

PTI