No deal yet on Pak succession: Musharraf still in army-guarded residence:

Leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition have met in Islamabad to discuss who will succeed their long-time opponent, former President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf stepped down on Monday after nine years in power to avoid a move by the government to impeach him.

The coalition, led by the parties of the late Benazir Bhutto and ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, held a first, inconclusive round of talks on Monday.

The coalition partners have agreed to meet again in three days time.

The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan says that it appears that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) need more time to resolve their differences over Musharraf's long-term replacement and over the reappointment of scores of judges sacked by Musharraf last year.

Musharraf himself has been replaced by caretaker President Muhammad Sumroo following his resignation on Monday.

Sumroo, Speaker of the senate and a political ally of Musharraf, will lead the country until a new election is held by parliament.

It is unclear whether Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, will face prosecution now that he is out of power.

Leaders of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (son of Zardari and late Benazir Bhutto) met other members of the coalition in Islamabad on Tuesday to try and hammer out a deal.

Nawaz Sharif, who as PML-N leader heads the second biggest party in the coalition, was greeted by Zardari and Bilawal.

Pakistan's Minister for Law, Farooq Naek, said before the negotiations that the coalition parties would make a "united decision" on the important issues.

But correspondents say that will not happen before the end of the week. The PPP and PML-N distrust each other and have already said different things about Musharraf's future, the BBC's Charles Haviland reports from Islamabad.

Zardari's party said it believed Musharraf might have immunity from prosecution.

But Sharif's party argues he should stand trial for, among other things, abrogating the constitution.

Well known in the West for his support for the US after the 11 September 2001 attacks, President Musharraf had grown increasingly unpopular at home.

With the government on the verge of impeaching him, the former soldier's instinct was to fight on, correspondents say, but in his lengthy address he said he was stepping down for the good of the nation.

Bilawal Bhutto said he hoped the country could move forward after Musharraf's departure.

Mrs Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi in December last year.

The retired army general resigned Monday in the face of impeachment threats from the fragile ruling coalition, which is packed with his foes. He is believed to be in his army-guarded residence near the capital, Islamabad.

How the government deals with his succession - and whether it leads to a power struggle - is a looming question at a critical time.

Law Minister Farooq Naek said Tuesday that the government had not struck an immunity deal with Musharraf, though supporters and foes suggested he had sought guarantees that he would not face criminal prosecution or be forced into exile.

"There is no deal with the president, and he had himself resigned," Naek told reporters.

Musharraf did not specify his plans during his emotional farewell speech on Monday, saying only that his future was in the hands of the people. But local media reports have suggested he might leave the country for security reasons - he is despised by Islamist militants and is widely unpopular among ordinary Pakistanis.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States were being discussed as potential havens.

"He should not be allowed to leave," said Sadiqul Farooq, spokesman for the coalition's second-largest party, which has accused the former president of treason. "He should be tried for his crimes."

Pakistan's president is elected by lawmakers, a process that is supposed to be completed within 30 days