ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - From the dusty streets of Punjab to the privileged ranks of the ruling parliamentary party, the mood in Pakistan is turning against its military leader.

Even erstwhile supporters of his eight-year rule are urging the pro-U.S. general to resign as army chief by year's end and allow a civilian-led government.

While Western governments still expect their key ally in the fight against al-Qaida to weather the storm, and stay on as a nonmilitary president, Musharraf has yet to make his intentions plain "” deepening uncertainty in the country before his current term expires in October.

With parliamentary elections also due around the year's end, disquiet is growing among his own political base.

Prominent figures within the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q are now openly criticizing his March 9 ouster of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry that unleashed violence in Karachi that killed more than 40 people, and canvassing a conciliatory path toward opposition parties.

"Elections should be held in a manner that is acceptable for all. He should invite all political parties for a grand national reconciliation," Syed Kabir Ali Wasti, a PML-Q vice-president, told The Associated Press.

"This is how he can get another five years."

Election to the presidency is through a vote of Parliament and Pakistan's four provincial assemblies. Musharraf's stated strategy is to win a vote for a new term until 2012 from sitting lawmakers, even though they were elected in flawed polls in 2002 and their term too is nearly over.

"There's increasing agreement across the country that nobody is going to swallow it," said Ayaz Amir, a columnist for the respected Dawn newspaper. "Legal arguments aside, how can an assembly that is about to die out give another five year term to the president? That's not what the constitution of Pakistan intended."

Such a bid could become mired in legal challenges and become further tarnished if Pakistan's fragmented opposition parties stage a boycott. A Western diplomat in Islamabad said Musharraf would also risk a popular backlash among voters already resentful of the rising cost of living.

When Musharraf seized power from elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless 1999 coup, the general enjoyed widespread support from Pakistanis tired of rampant corruption in government. His boldness in abandoning Pakistan's support of the Taliban in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks won him the trust of the West. Billions in aid and shrewd financial management helped kickstart the economy.

If Musharraf loses his struggle to stay in power, many analysts expect the new government to be led by the secular party of exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who echoes the general's pledges to combat extremism and stay close to Washington. Opinion polls are rare in Pakistan, but some commentators assert that Islamist parties are losing ground.

Many here consider Musharraf's record in the war on terror to be mixed and are increasingly resentful of privileges afforded to the army, double-digit food inflation and a failure to restore democracy.

His clumsy suspension of Chief Justice Chaudhry for apparently minor charges of professional misconduct "” a case being scrutinized in the Supreme Court "” reinforced perceptions of an overbearing military and set in motion a series of rallies by lawyers and opposition parties that have drawn tens of thousands.

"This was the first trial of his ability since 9/11 and he failed to deal with it," said Wasti from the PML-Q. "Now the people, the whole nation is hostile. There are cracks in the ruling party over this issue."

The bloodshed in Karachi, and Musharraf's defense of the pro-government Mutahida Qaumi Movement accused of being behind most of the violence, further hurt his credibility. It has also damaged the prospects for a deal with Bhutto, whose party is probably Pakistan's most popular and could potentially smooth the way for his re-election as president.

"My assessment is that he is dead politically, he's on his way out," said veteran politician Iftikhar Gilani, who served as law minister under Bhutto in the late 1980s but later ran for office, unsuccessfully, on a PMLQ ticket. "By October, he won't be there."

Mushahid Hussain, PML-Q secretary-general, concedes there has been negative fallout from the judicial crisis but claims an "equilibrium" has been reached. He said that ultimately voters would credit Musharraf's role in building the economy and a more liberal society.

The voice from the street is far less sympathetic.

Of 15 citizens interviewed at random by the AP in the cities of Karachi, Multan and Lahore, only one "” a soldier "” backed Musharraf. The rest were either apathetic or hostile.

"Musharraf should resign from his both offices and hand over the country's rule to real representatives of the public," said Lahore waiter Zulfiqar Ahmad, a father of five who grumbled about rising prices.

"While we stand in long queues at banks to deposit our utility bills, an army man in uniform gets his job done in minutes," said Sayed Qureshi, a student in Multan who works at a grocery store to support himself. "For God's sake, these people in uniform should leave us alone."

But Musharraf still enjoys the public acclaim of his chief international backer, the United States. On a visit last week, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte called for free and fair elections in Pakistan but did not publicly press Musharraf to honor his promise to resign as army chief by the end of 2007 "” a constitutional requirement.

"I think that's something that President Musharraf will himself want to decide. This is a matter that is up to him," Negroponte said.

There is also no outward sign of disaffection within the top ranks of the army, although retired Pakistani generals are strongly critical of the president for prolonging the army's role in politics "” a possible barometer of latent sentiments within the military.