Acrimony between the government of General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, and key opposition parties sharpened yesterday after opposition members of parliament boycotted a no-confidence vote against the speaker of the lower house they had themselves sponsored.

Members of the opposition walked out in protest when they were denied permission for up to 107 of them to speak on the issue. They had moved the vote after accusing Chaudhary Amir Hussain, the speaker, of denying them adequate time.