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ISLAMABAD, Sunday

A battle of wits between Pakistan's military rulers and politicians hotted up on Saturday when former premier Nawaz Sharif ditched his bid to fight elections in solidarity with former arch rival Benazir Bhutto who has been banned from running.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said more than 600 of its activists were detained in her native Sindh province during the day for protesting against the rejection of her poll nomination.

It said they included candidates for the October 10 polls called by General Pervez Musharraf.

Police confirmed 100 PPP members were detained in the southern city of Karachi and a dozen in Ratto Dero, the southern town where Bhutto's nomination was rejected on the grounds of her July conviction for failing to return from self-imposed exile in Britain to answer corruption charges.

Sharif, also living in exile, was a bitter rival of Bhutto when they alternated in the role of premier in the 1990s.

He had his nomination approved on Thursday, even though he has also been threatened with arrest by Musharraf if he returns to Pakistan.

In a statement, Sharif said he was bowing out to show solidarity with the people of Sindh.

"It is highly regrettable that the nomination papers of Ms Benazir Bhutto, who hails from Sindh, and is leader of one of the two mainstream political parties have been rejected," he said.

Sharif said while he would not contest the poll his Pakistan Muslim League would and called on democratic forces to unite against dictatorship.

"It is time that we forget all our past differences in order to stand as one and fight shoulder to shoulder to put Pakistan back on the path of democracy," he said.

"This decision is also aimed at lodging my strong protest against the unethical, illegal and unconstitutional measures of the military regime under the garb of restoration of "true democracy"."

His announcement came shortly after the government said it would challenge the election authorities' acceptance of his nomination.

Sharif also slammed Musharraf for altering the constitution this month to strengthen his power.

"It is unfortunate and indeed dangerous that one man alone is playing with the destiny of 140 million people by making whimsical amendments to the constitution in order to concentrate all powers in himself," he said.

"It is time that the military rulers returned to their real duty of defending the frontiers, to which they are oath-bound, leaving the job of governance to those mandated by the people of Pakistan."

On Friday, Bhutto said she would consider returning to Pakistan regardless of the threat of arrest, if one of her nominations was accepted.

Decisions on her other nominations, one for her home town of Larkana, are due to be announced on Sunday.

Musharraf, who extended his rule for five more years through a controversial referendum in April, says Sharif and his family promised to stay out of politics for 10 years when they went into exile in Saudi Arabia in 2000. The family denies this.

Analysts say Musharraf considers Bhutto a greater threat than Sharif, given the considerable popularity she still enjoys.

Among the steps Musharraf has taken to bar the two from returning to power is a decree stating prime ministers can only serve two terms. Both have been premier twice before.

Bhutto's lawyers are challenging her ban in the high court in Sindh, which is expected to hear the case on September 11.

A PPP official in Larkana said the party had called on supporters to gather in the town for Sunday's ruling on her other nominations.

Musharraf's government has declared street protests illegal ahead of the election.

A police source said at least 200 people, wearing black bands to protest at what they called the "death of democracy", marched in Ratto Dero, burned tyres and forced shops to close. "Over a dozen protesters were detained," he added.

Witnesses in Badin, east of Karachi, said over 200 protesters blocked the national highway for at least four hours.

"They were chanting anti-Musharraf slogans and also pelted passing vehicles with stones," a witness said.

The political standoff in Pakistan presents a dilemma for Western democracies, especially the United States, which viewed Musharraf as a pariah for seizing power then embraced him when he sided with the war on terror after September 11.

However, Washington has made clear the battle against terror is paramount.

A mild rebuke after Musharraf's constitutional changes was immediately followed by a strong message of support, with President George W Bush saying: "President Musharraf is still tight with us in the war against terror, and that's what I appreciate."

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