Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said the government had ordered security forces to close her offices, while intelligence agents were pressuring candidates to drop out of a January election.

But Bhutto said despite that, Pakistanis were so fed up with inflation and unemployment it would be difficult for supporters of President Pervez Musharraf to rig a victory in the Jan. 8 parliamentary poll.

"The government is scared and is sending the Frontier Constabulary to close our party offices, it is sending MI (Military Intelligence) officials to go and ask candidates to withdraw.". The constabulary is a paramilitary force.

Pakistan's allies hope the election will help bring stability to the nuclear-armed country, seen as vital to U.S. efforts to combat terrorism, after months of turmoil over Musharraf's manoeuvring to hold on to power.

Musharraf stepped down as army chief last month and lifted a six-week state of emergency on Dec. 15..

Next month's election is for assemblies in the country's four provinces and a national assembly from which a prime minister and a government will be drawn. The vote is a three-way race between Bhutto, another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and the party that has ruled under Musharraf and backs him..

Analysts expect a hung parliament with no one party winning a majority. That would likely mean two of the three main parties having to forge an alliance.