Former Pakistan premiers Benazir Bhutto [Images] and Nawaz Sharif will boycott the 2007 general elections if they are not allowed to contest.

Ruling out parleys with President Pervez Musharraf [Images], the two leaders said they want an interim government to hold the polls.

'Both of us would like to find a way to contest the elections to help Pakistan make a transition to democracy. But those elections need to be fair, free and impartial. They need to be open to all political parties. And if they are not, honestly, all options will be on the table for us to consider,' Bhutto and Sharif said on Thursday night.

Addressing the media after a four-hour-long meeting with Sharif, Bhutto, the leader Pakistan People's Party leader, said several leaders insisted that unless they were allowed to contest the elections, they should boycott the next elections.

Quoting other leaders, Bhutto said, "They said the people of Pakistan want one set of leaders. If they cannot contest, then the elections are a mockery. Why lend it legitimacy?"

Sharif added: "The Musharraf regime is causing a great deal of harm to the country and therefore we decided that Musharraf will never be entertained for any contact for political purposes. There will be no negotiations or parleys."

Referring to Musharraf's assertion that he would not allow Bhutto and Sharif to participate in the polls, Sharif said, "Then, he is not talking about holding free and fair elections."

Sharif added that Musharraf was not trying to create a level playing field for all players.

"So, we have very serious doubts and suspicions about the fact that Musharraf is going to hold free and fair elections.

"Both of us agree that the general elections, scheduled between October 2007 and February 2008 should be held under a neutral caretaker set up and free and fair elections are only possible under a neutral set up because Musharraf should not be able to influence the elections," Sharif said.

The meeting comes amid reports of a rift between the two over suspected back-channel contacts between PPP and the government backed by President Pervez Musharraf for a political rapprochement.

Sharif and Bhutto allied themselves against Musharraf in May and vowed to restore democracy in Pakistan.