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ISLAMABAD, Nov 6 (AFP) The opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former premier Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday accused the government of pressuring its newly-elected parliamentarians to change their loyalties.

The accusations came as the President Pervez Musharraf postponed by one week the scheduled opening of the first parliament since his 1999 coup.

PPP secretary general Raza Rabbani said that a number of its legislators have complained of "midnight knocks" by police, civil administration and secret agencies pressuring them to ditch their party.

"The continued hounding, harassment and intimidation of the legislators-elect of the PPP parliamentarians by the sleuths of the military regime, with a view to force them to change their loyalties, is condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said.

He said that despite "rigging" the October 10 elections -- the first held since Musharraf's coup -- the regime could not muster adequate support for its favorites to form government.

With 81 seats under its belt, the PPP holds the second largest number of seats after the pro-government Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), which despite bagging 103 seats has failed to form a coalition government in the 342-member hung parliament.

Musharraf postponed the convening of parliament by one week after the PPP and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six Islamic parties which holds the balance of power, agreed to unite against him.

Rabbani warned that the delay in the transfer of power could have disastrous consequences.

"Manipulation of election results and now manipulation of power transfer by turning the majority of anti-regime parties into a parliamentary minority amounts to cheating the people of their political rights," he said in a statement.

The moves "will have disastrous consequences for the stability and integrity of the federation." 

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