Pakistan’s beleaguered president, General Pervez Musharraf, on Thursday promised to protect economic reforms undertaken during his tenure as concerns grow over a fresh era of corruption arriving with a return to civilian rule and his eventual retirement from the military.

August’s news of a possible power-sharing agreement between Mr Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s party, has prompted anxieties among business people over future regimes being more tolerant towards graft.