Islamabad: Preliminary investigations into the weekend assassination bid on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf have revealed that five high intensity explosive devices were used to explode the bridge over which his motorcade passed just minutes before the blast.

"Five explosive devices were fixed under the bridge and those simultaneously detonated sometime after the passage of the President's motorcade," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was quoted as saying by official media.

Expressing concern that such an incident took place after the arrival of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and well before the January SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit, he said, "We are thankful to Allah Almighty that a disaster had been averted".

The footage of the bridge after the explosion, showed by state television, revealed that it suffered extensive damage with huge gaping holes in many places.

While Musharraf blamed the explosion on militant groups, the ease with which the high intensity explosives were planted beneath the bridge surprised many as it was located very close to the headquarters of the Pakistan Army's 10 Corps.

Rashid said nobody has been arrested so far but many people are being questioned.

Meanwhile, the country's Cabinet has reposed full confidence in Musharraf's leadership, and strongly condemned an attempt on his life.

"The Cabinet stood solidly behind the President in his resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," said a statement issued last night following a special meeting chaired by Premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Addressing the Cabinet, Jamali reaffirmed that Pakistan would not relent from its policy of combating terrorism and deal sternly with those involved in acts of terror.

"The stability of Pakistan and its development as a modern and moderate Islamic state was the course on which the Government will continue to move and every impediment will be removed with the full might of the state," he said.

While revealing the details of explosions, Rashid also called upon the Opposition parties to forge unity along with the Government and said "the next 14-16 months are of high significance for the region, thus we should adopt a unanimous approach to meet the challenges ahead in an effective manner."

His call for national unity came as the six-party Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA) geared up to organise peoples' march to Islamabad from Dec 18 to protest continuation of Musharraf as both Army Chief and President. MMA and other mainstream Opposition parties want Musharraf's constitutional amendments to be ratified by Parliament but it also expressed its readiness to accept a modified constitutional package and Musharraf's Presidency provided he gave in writing to quit as Army Chief by Dec 2004.

Reports in media said that hectic talks were underway to work out a deal between MMA and Government to avert the agitation. Musharraf, however, publicly warned MMA from serving any ultimatums and said he would not give in to such tactics.

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