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Ex-prime minister Sharif quits Pakistan coalition

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-26 00:02

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says he is withdrawing his party from Pakistan's ruling coalition.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gestures as he talks to the media after a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2008.  [Agencies]

The move will likely concentrate power in the hands of the main ruling Pakistan People's Party, which wants to maintain the country's close ties with the United States.

Sharif said Monday that he is pulling out of the five-month-old alliance because it has failed to restore judges ousted by ex-President Pervez Musharraf.

Lawmakers are expected to choose People's Party leader Asif Ali Zardari as Musharraf's successor on Sept. 6.