Party leader: Musharraf 'sulking'

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A top official in Pervez Musharraf's party says the Pakistani president has a "bunker mentality" since the parliamentary election went against his party.

The Pakistan Muslim League (Q) was hammered in the vote Monday, losing ground to the Pakistan People's Party, led before her assassination by Benazir Bhutto, and the Pakistan Muslim League (N), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif, ousted by Musharraf in a 1999 military coup and sent into exile, seems likely to become prime minister.

Aides say Musharraf has continued his routine -- tennis in the afternoon and bridge several evenings a week. But at least one senior official says the president has changed inside, The Guardian reported.

"He's been sulking," the official told the newspaper. "He's retreated into a mental bunker, which is not healthy. He thinks everyone is out to get him and only listens to a small circle. It's a dangerous mindset to be in at this point in time. He could decide to hit back."