By Kamran Haider
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan militants linked to al-Qaedawarned any incoming civilian government on Sunday they wouldstrike even more viciously if President Pervez Musharraf'sU.S-backed war on terror continued in tribal areas.
Following last week's inconclusive election, severalpolitical parties are in talks to form a coalition strongenough for a ruling majority in the National Assembly. How theydeal with militants will be one of their most pressingchallenges.
The Pakistan Taliban have been blamed for the assassinationof former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27, as wellas killing hundreds in attacks over the past few years.
In northwest Pakistan on Sunday, militants attacked asecurity post, killing a policeman and two paramilitaryservicemen and wounding six others, officials said.
Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, toldReuters by telephone from an undisclosed location that any newmilitary operation in tribal areas would lead to more violence.
"Whoever makes the government, we want to make it clear tothem we don't want fighting. We want peace, but if they imposewar on us, we will not spare them," he said.
"We don't want political parties to repeat the mistakewhich Musharraf committed and follow a path dictated by theU.S."
On Sunday mainstream Islamists said they would wait and seewhat sort of government emerges before deciding on anyagitation.
"We'll give them a chance," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of theJamaat-e-Islami, told a news conference in Islamabad.
MUSHARRAF'S FATE IN BALANCE
Provisional results from the February 18 election have beenannounced for all but 10 seats. Bhutto's Pakistan People'sParty leads with 87, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League(PML-N) of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with 67.
The fate of Musharraf, a U.S. ally who seized power in amilitary coup in October 1999, could depend on what kind ofcoalition emerges, although his supporters, with 39 seats,could still have a say.
If the PPP and PML-N forge a coalition, as expected, itwill be the first time in Pakistan's history the two mainparties have come together.
Musharraf appeared to win some respite on Sunday frommonths of calls for him to step down when Amin Fahim, the PPP'schoice for prime minister, told CNN there were no immediateplans to seek his removal.
Previously both the PPP and PML-N have called for him toquit or face impeachment.
"We should not rock the boat at this time. We must have acivil transition of power," Fahim said.
Musharraf angered many Islamists by sending the army intotribal lands to flush out al-Qaeda and Taliban militants whotook refuge there when U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban inAfghanistan after September 11, 2001, attacks on the UnitedStates.
Islamist parties ruled the border areas of North WestFrontier Province and Baluchistan and were the main oppositionin the National Assembly for five years until being swept awayin last week's vote by liberal groups led by the PPP and PML-N.
The PPP and other parties have also been critical ofextremists and militants and vowed to fight them.
(Editing by David Fox and Mary Gabriel)