Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Nawaz, whose government was toppled and was arrested by Musharraf in October 1999, said that the President should understand the National Assembly's "loud" message and step down immediately.

"We will have to do something if he (Musharraf) does not step down ... I would have quit had I, God forbid, been in his position," the Daily Times quoted the former premier as saying in reply to a question whether the new government should go for impeachment of the President.

He said President Musharraf should not burden the new parliament. "I would advise him to accept the mandate of the people and step down and let the assembly elect a new President," he added.

About the restoration of the sacked judiciary, he said it was a matter of days and there was no issue of 'if' to honour the promise made to the people. The nation was delighted by the release of the detained judges, he said and added that the issue had brought shame to the country as a "dictator" had kept judges and their families under house arrest for months. "It was a shameful drama and all the characters in it should be held accountable," he added.

Meanwhile, siding with their old time 'anti-terror ally' (Musharraf), two key US officials camping in Islamabad - Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, have reportedly appealed to former premier Nawaz Sharif to soften his stand on President Pervez Musharraf. They said Washington feels comfortable getting along with the President.

In a 55-minute-long meeting with Nawaz last evening, the two US officials explained how important President Musharraf was for the US in its war on terror, and explained to him that Musharraf had been part of the US' war on terror since 2001, reported The News.

However, Nawaz countered the US officials' stance on the ground that the recent mandate of the people had established that Musharraf had lost the trust of the masses. The ex-PM also challenged Musharraf's policies, especially his approach to the war on terror.

According to the paper, Nawaz contended said Musharraf had been part of the war on terror problem, and could not become part of the solution. He also tried to explain to the US officials how crucial was Musharraf's role in strengthening the Taliban government and consequently consolidating al-Qaeda's position in the region.

Nawaz discussed in detail the mismanaged facets of the war on terror, and told the US how costly was this war for Pakistan. The former PM attributed the growing violence in Pakistan to poor handling of the issue, saying only elected representatives of the people had the potential and the right to formulate policies with regard to this menace. The PML-N leader said terrorism was unacceptable; however, he had reservations on the operational mismanagement in war on terror.

He said the West would have to win the hearts and minds of the people rather than indiscriminate pounding of suspected terrorists' hubs, which had inherent threat of great collateral damage.

Besides, Nawaz informed them how the President had manipulated the 2002 elections in the NWFP, giving massive representation to the rightwing parties.

Nawaz Sharif also told the officials about the inhumane treatment meted out to him and his family when he was in exile. He told the US officials that the new Pakistan parliament would not become a rubberstamp of the presidency.

Putting his point across to the Americans with regard to the latter's interest in Pakistan, he told the US officials the policy-decisions vis-a-vis the war on terror had to be routed through the elected parliament, and his party wouldn't appreciate the US's overwhelming dependence on Musharraf.

The two US State Department officials presently camping in Islamabad during the transition of power were reportedly told in no uncertain terms that the US-Pak relationship could change given the new ground realities following the installation of a new democratic government.

PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari met the Americans but did not divulge what transpired between the two sides. His adviser Husain Haqqani, who also attended the meeting, however, said that the American officials had been given notice that the old ways were over. "If I can use an American expression, there is a new sheriff in town. Americans have realized that they have perhaps talked with one man for too long," Haqqani said.

During their 55-minute-long talk with former premier Nawaz Sharif, Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte and the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian affairs, Richard A. Boucher, were reportedly given enough hints that the US-Pakistan alliance on war on terror was over, or had to be redrawn.

Nawaz said after meeting the two American diplomats that it was unacceptable that Pakistan had become a "killing field."

"If America wants to see itself clean of terrorists, we also want that our villages and towns should not be bombed," the New York Times quoted him as saying at a news conference here. He added that he was unable to give Negroponte "a commitment" on fighting terrorism.

One of Sharif's aides Ahsan Iqbal, said that the ex-PM told Negroponte that the strategy of the partnership against terrorism needed to be reassessed. "Nobody supports terrorism, but there are different ways to counter it," Iqbal said.

The timing of the Americans visit was harshly criticized in the Pakistan media for creating the appearance that the US was trying to dictate policy to a government not even hours old. Dawn editor Zaffar Abbas said: "I don't think it is a good idea for them to be here on this particular day. Here are the Americans, right here in Islamabad, meeting with senior politicians in the new government, trying to dictate terms."

An editorial published in The News was headlined "Hands Off Please, Uncle Sam", and said that the Americans should understand that the newly elected Parliament was now their proper partner, not Musharraf. (ANI)