Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf Monday pledged to work with whoever won violence-dogged parliamentary elections as polls closed in a ballot that could prove pivotal for Washington's key ally as he struggles to exert his authority over the nuclear-armed nation. Thousands of gun-toting security personnel were deployed to stand guard across the nation amid fears of further unrest after weeks of bloodshed, including the deaths of 40 people over the weekend.By Monday afternoon, attackers had detonated two bombs at one polling place, causing no injuries, authorities said, while one person was killed elsewhere as rival political parties exchanged gunfire.
Security forces reported three other explosions -- one near a polling place in Quetta, in western Pakistan; another at a college being used as a polling station in the Federally Administered Tribal Area; and a third that was not near a voting venue.
"Whatever the result, whatever the result, we will accept it with grace," Musharraf told reporters Monday. "Whoever is the prime minister, I will work with that person in a reconciliatory mode. We should end the confrontationist politics. Let's enter into a conciliatory politics."
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