New Delhi: With protests over Pervez Musharraf's rule on several counts mounting, the entire Opposition in the Pakistani Parliament has alleged that two top posts in the Senate were filled at a dinner meeting in the Inter State Intelligence (ISI) headquarters and decided to boycott the formal elections to these posts, media reports said.

While 54 Senators-elect were present at the ISI headquarters for last week's dinner meeting, "the announcement regarding the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate was made in the ISI office", Pakistani daily 'Nation' said in a report quoting Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Parliamentary leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

Coupled with these protests, large-scale demonstrations against the US-led war in Iraq and Musharraf regime's role in it have also erupted in the past few days.

The daily quoted Opposition leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad as stating, "We are boycotting the formal election of the chairman and deputy chairman (of the Senate) as the ISI has already selected Senators for these two offices."

Hashmi, who was also present at the Opposition leaders' meeting where the decisions were taken, said, "We do not accept Musharraf as the head of the state since he had committed a Constitutional crime by ousting an elected government."

He also asked Opposition parties to join hands "against the military dictator who has hijacked Democratic institutions".

Pakistan People's Party chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim charged the government with "rigging" the Senate elections by "using ultra-constitutional tactics".

PTI