Pak foils hardliners; US wants free polls

Pakistani authorities detained leaders of five hardline Islamic parties and 200 supporters for several hours on Saturday to thwart a plan to hold a major election rally in defiance of a government ban.

The leaders from the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal alliance were detained by police at Lahore railway station as they tried to board a train bound for Karachi, where they planned to stage a big rally, sources said. They were released after a few hours.

Meanwhile, The US has made clear to President Pervez Musharraf its objections to his moves to bolster power and stressed that President Bush expects free elections, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said.

US consular posts in Pakistan will be closed on Wednesday, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as fears persist of new terror strikes against US targets.