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Gold9472
08-14-2008, 02:33 PM
Musharraf Is Expected to Resign in Next Few Days

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/world/asia/15pstan.html?partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

By JANE PERLEZ
August 15, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Faced with desertions by his political supporters and the neutrality of the Pakistani military, President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, an important ally of the United States, is expected to resign in the next few days rather than face impeachment charges, Pakistani politicians and Western diplomats said Thursday.

His departure from office would be likely to unleash new instability in the country as the two main parties in the civilian government jockeyed for the division of power.

The details of how Mr. Musharraf would exit, and whether he would be able to stay in Pakistan — apparently his strong preference — or would seek residency abroad were now under discussion, the politicians said.

Mr. Musharraf was expected to resign before the governing coalition presented charges for impeachment to the Parliament early next week, said Nisar Ali Khan, a senior official in the Pakistani Muslim League-N, the minority partner in the coalition government.

Similarly, Sheikh Mansoor Ahmed, a senior official of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the major party in the coalition, said Thursday that the president would probably leave in the “next 72 hours.”

Inexorable pressure has built on Mr. Musharraf, a member of the military by profession and often impetuous by nature, to take a way out from the current crisis that would save him from embarrassing disclosures during impeachment procedures and that would protect the nation from a prolonged political agony.

The United States and Britain sought last year to put a democratic face on the unpopular Mr. Musharraf — who was then also chief of the army — by engineering the return of the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as his partner in a putative power-sharing arrangement. Now the two countries are virtual bystanders as Mr. Musharraf’s rule seems to be coming to an end.

Ms. Bhutto was assassinated in December, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, now the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, emerged as a major force urging Mr. Musharraf’s ouster last week. The two major political parties in the coalition said last week that they would seek to remove Mr. Musharraf, and that the grounds for impeachment included mismanagement of the economy, his imposition of emergency rule in November and the firing of nearly 60 judges.

The American ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson, met with senior officials of the political parties seeking Mr. Musharraf’s ouster in the past few days, and a senior diplomat in the British Foreign Office, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, met with Mr. Musharraf here this week, Pakistani officials and a Western diplomat said.

The envoys did not argue against Mr. Musharraf’s departure but rather stressed that he should be granted as dignified an exit as possible, the Pakistani officials said. The officials and diplomats spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

“The United States is now accepting Musharraf’s removal as a fait accompli,” Mr. Khan said.

“They just want that he should not be humiliated. We don’t want his humiliation either.”

The Bush administration’s continued support of Mr. Musharraf, anchored by the personal relationship between the two presidents, has infuriated the four-month-old civilian coalition, which routed the president’s party in February elections. “Now the reaction from the American friends is positive,” Mr. Khan said.

While Mr. Bush has kept up his relationship with Mr. Musharraf — including regular telephone conversations — the administration has also been trying to build its relations with the new Pakistani government, as it demands greater action against militants based in Pakistan.

The coalition parties said that the impeachment charges would be presented to Parliament early next week, and that the charges would be far-ranging and touch on, among other things, Mr. Musharraf’s decision to suspend the Constitution last November and to introduce emergency rule.

The leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Nawaz Sharif, has demanded that if Mr. Musharraf is impeached, a trial must follow, a proceeding that would be very messy, and could rip the country apart.

In his hour of need, as the politicians move against him, Mr. Musharraf has been greeted by silence from the military, his former power base.

As army chief of staff, Mr. Musharraf grabbed power in October 1999, overthrowing Mr. Sharif, who was then prime minister.

Mr. Sharif has maneuvered for Mr. Musharraf’s ouster since returning to power after the February elections.

As president and army chief, Mr. Musharraf worked hand in hand with the United States against terrorism until last November, when he handed the army post to Gen. Ashfaq Parvaz Kayani, who promised to keep the army out of politics.

Since assuming the army leadership, General Kayani has remained true to his promise.

The neutrality of the military has actually tipped the scales against Mr. Musharraf, said Arif Nizami, editor of the daily newspaper The Nation.

“They are not even putting pressure on the civilians” to stop the president’s ouster, Mr. Nizami said of the military. “They are saying, ‘If you do it according to the book, it’s none of our business.’ They have pushed against Mr. Musharraf.”

Mr. Musharraf gave a routine but subdued national day address on Wednesday, calling for reconciliation. But by then many of his supporters had left him. He was seeking solace from “only a handful of people,” most of whom harbored personal interests in Mr. Musharraf’s survival, according to an account in a national newspaper, Dawn, by Zaffar Abbas, a respected political journalist.

Many members of Mr. Musharraf’s political party have deserted him, although a powerful political group, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which is based in Karachi, still supports him, Mr. Abbas wrote.

One prominent supporter, Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, who served as the interior minister in Mr. Musharraf’s government, said Thursday that he could no longer justify his allegiance to the president.

Mr. Sherpao represents a parliamentary constituency in the North-West Frontier Province on the edge of the tribal area, where the Taliban are winning control of village after village with little opposition from the military or government forces.

After consulting “with every friend” in his area, “not a single person was in favor of Musharraf,” Mr. Sherpao said.

“With one voice they said: ‘This is the time you have to be with the democratic forces.’ ”

While it appeared almost certain that Mr. Musharraf would leave before facing impeachment, there was great uncertainty over what would follow.

“Everyone feels that the Musharraf era is over,” the Daily Times wrote in an editorial on Thursday. “But no one is actually in the mood to see what it is going to be like to be in the post-Musharraf era.”

Many Pakistanis believe the country could suffer even greater instability after Mr. Musharraf goes.

The coalition partnership between Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif became troubled by deep suspicions between the two sides soon after the February elections, and the current accord on ousting Mr. Musharraf is likely to fragment as soon as he is gone, politicians say.

There is little agreement, for example, between the two men on the choice of the next president. That question is a subject of almost as much jockeying within the coalition as the plan to get rid of Mr. Musharraf.

Mr. Zardari, a highly controversial figure in Pakistan who was jailed on corruption charges for more than eight years, would like the post, according to his party supporters and senior members of the Pakistan Muslim League-N. The charges against Mr. Zardari were dismissed as part of an amnesty agreement when Ms. Bhutto returned to Pakistan.

Mr. Sharif is opposed to Mr. Zardari’s ascendancy to the presidency, but would go along with it if the presidency were stripped of many of its current powers, Pakistan Muslim League-N officials said.

According to the Constitution, an election for the president by the national Parliament and four provincial assemblies must be held 30 days after the office becomes vacant. Mr. Sharif and Mr. Zardari agreed last week that the choice of a presidential nominee would be made by a consensus between them.

“We very, very strongly feel it has to be a man of national consensus, a man of stature, a man everyone looks up to as a head of state,” Mr. Khan said.

Gold9472
08-16-2008, 03:26 PM
Sharif's party: No legal immunity for Musharraf

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080816/NEWS07/80816006/1009/NEWS07

8/16/2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's chances of avoiding impeachment appeared to dim today as a key ruling party held firm against any deal that would protect him from criminal charges and he gave no public indication of resigning.

The country's foreign minister said Musharraf needs to make up his mind in two days.

"Musharraf is running out of time," said Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a member of the main ruling Pakistan People's Party. "If he fails to decide to quit within the next two days, the impeachment process will take its course."

Allies and rivals of Musharraf have said ongoing back-channel talks could lead to the president's exit before an impeachment motion reaches Parliament. Ruling coalition officials said today a draft of the impeachment charge sheet is awaiting approval from senior leaders.

Musharraf's spokesman has said the president is not resigning, but whether he decides to quit could depend on what his rivals are willing to offer — in particular if they will give him legal immunity and let him stay in the country.

But on such terms, divisions have appeared in the ruling coalition, raising the likelihood of impeachment proceedings.

Sadiqul Farooq, a spokesman for the party of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — whom Musharraf ousted in a 1999 coup — said legal guarantees were out of the question.

Sharif's party is the second largest in the coalition, and has said Musharraf should be tried for treason, which carries a maximum punishment of death.

"It will be in the interest of the country and the nation to make him an example in accordance with the constitution and the law," Farooq said.

That's a tougher tone than the line taken by the senior coalition member, the PPP.

Information Minister Sherry Rehman, a top PPP member, said today that the party "never indulges in the politics of revenge as it wants a stable Pakistan and a sustainable democracy in the country."

Musharraf dominated Pakistan for years after seizing power in the bloodless military coup, gaining favor from the U.S. after supporting its war on terrorism. He gave up his dual role as army chief late last year, but by then he had grown very unpopular.

Many Pakistanis blamed rising violence in their country on his alliance with the United States against the Taliban and al-Qaida. His popularity hit new lows in 2007 when he ousted dozens of judges and imposed emergency rule in bids to avoid challenges to his rule.

His rivals came to power after February parliamentary elections, largely sidelining him while pressuring him to step down.

The United States has toed a publicly neutral line since the coalition declared its impeachment plans last week, as has Pakistan's army, Musharraf's former power base.

If he chooses not to quit, Musharraf could be the first president in Pakistan's turbulent history to be impeached.

Sen. Mushahid Hussain, secretary-general of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, said Friday that the president's advisers were considering his options, with one being that Musharraf would resign but be allowed to stay "in peace" within the country.

Whether the president could safely stay in Pakistan is an open question. He is despised by Islamist militants and has already survived multiple assassination attempts.

Observers say an exile deal could send him to Turkey, where he spent some of his childhood, though other possibilities such as the United States or Britain also have been suggested.

Gold9472
08-17-2008, 12:18 PM
Pakistan coalition gives Musharraf two-day ultimatum

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Pakistan_coalition_gives_Musharraf_twoday_ultimatu m_0817.html

Agence France-Presse
Published: Sunday August 17, 2008

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's ruling coalition tightened the screw on President Pervez Musharraf Sunday, saying that it had readied impeachment charges against him and was giving him two days to stand down.

Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told AFP that "the charge sheet will be presented in parliament by Tuesday". Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said a day earlier that Musharraf had to decide on quitting "by today or tomorrow."

The coalition finalised the charges on Sunday after intense deliberations and would present them on Monday to the alliance's leaders, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said.

"It is a historic document," Rehman told reporters. She said it would be submitted to parliament as part of an impeachment resolution "this week" but did not elaborate.

Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a statement issued by his office, said the "time has come when the nation will decide its own destiny as the people voted for a change in the country in the February elections."

A spokesman for Musharraf -- who seized power from Sharif in a bloodless military coup in 1999 and went on to become a linchpin in the US-led "war on terror" -- has repeatedly denied that the president is going to resign.

But attorney general Malik Qayyum, a close confidant of Musharraf, said the president would wait until the impeachment motion is filed before choosing a course of action.

"Whether he quits or counters the impeachment move will be decided after he sees the charges," Qayyum told AFP, adding that challenging impeachment in the Supreme Court remained an option.

With Pakistan's powerful army taking a neutral stance towards its former chief, the court is the only institution Musharraf can still count on, as he purged it of opponents during a state of emergency last November.

Musharraf's other courses of action -- either dissolving the national assembly or imposing emergency rule again -- are fraught with risk.

Musharraf's allies and coalition officials have said separately that his aides are in talks with the government in a bid to secure him an indemnity from prosecution if he does throw in the towel.

Saudi Arabia and, reportedly, the United States and Britain, have sent envoys in a bid to resolve the crisis in the nuclear-armed nation, which is also suffering from a severe economic crunch.

A coalition source said fresh discussions were underway Sunday.

"The emissaries of Musharraf are still in contact with the government and as far as we know, Musharraf's aides are advising him either to resign seeking an assurance for indemnity or try the Supreme Court," the source told AFP.

The talks on getting immunity for Musharraf have also been hampered by the opposition of former premier Sharif, who leads the second biggest group in the coalition after the Pakistan People's Party of Benazir Bhutto, led by Zardari.

No president has ever been impeached in Pakistan's 61-year history.

The army's stance is still unclear and analysts say it could react badly to seeing its former leader humiliated by impeachment. Musharraf quit as army chief in November last year under international pressure.

The coalition is counting on independent MPs and defectors from Musharraf's camp to win the two-thirds combined majority it would need in the upper and lower houses of parliament to impeach him.

The White House has also struck a neutral tone, saying that the impeachment threat was an internal matter.

Western allies want Pakistan to resolve the impasse so it can deal with the fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where nearly 500 people have died in the past week.

Musharraf's popularity first slumped after he tried to sack the country's chief justice in March 2007.

His Supreme Court purge in November allowed him to force through his re-election to another five-year term by the outgoing parliament, but his political allies were then trounced in elections in February.

Gold9472
08-18-2008, 05:04 PM
Musharraf resigns as Pakistan president

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Musharraf_resigns_as_Pakistan_presi_08182008.html

8/28/2008

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf resigned on Monday, bringing the curtain down on a turbulent nine years in power to avoid the first impeachment in the nuclear-armed nation's history.

The stony-faced former general announced the move in a lengthy address on national television, saying that the charges against him would never stand but that he wanted to spare Pakistan a damaging battle with the ruling coalition.

The departure of the close US ally set off celebrations in Pakistani cities, yet it was far from certain what would come next for a nation whose role in the "war on terror" has been increasingly questioned by Washington.

"After viewing the situation and consulting legal advisers and political allies, with their advice I have decided to resign," Musharraf, wearing a sober suit and tie, said close to the end of his one-hour address.

"I leave my future in the hands of the people."

There was no immediate reaction from the ruling coalition government, which easily defeated Musharraf's allies at the polls in February and had been pushing since even before then to bring him down.

"If we continue with the politics of confrontation, we will not save the country," the 65-year-old Musharraf said. "People will never pardon this government if they fail to do so."

His resignation came after the coalition said it was ready to press ahead with impeachment as early as Tuesday. It was not known if Musharraf had concluded a deal that would save him from prosecution in the days ahead.

But several close aides said that Musharraf was not set to go into exile as several of Pakistan's former leaders have done. "He is not going anywhere," one aide said.

The president's troubles began last year when he sacked judges in the courts who opposed him, clearing the way for his re-election last year while still holding a dual role as head of the country's powerful armed forces.

The move set off mass protests in the streets that built into a national crisis which saw Musharraf declare a state of emergency in November.

But he was compelled to resign as army chief within weeks, and when his administration was seen to have bungled the handling of the December assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, his fate seemed to be sealed.

Voters underscored his unpopularity at the ballot box in February, handing the parties of Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif -- who was premier when Musharraf took power in a 1999 coup -- a massive victory.

The leaders of the coalition, Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, later met in the capital Islamabad. Television footage showed them smiling broadly and shaking hands but they made no immediate comment.

The possible impeachment charges against Musharraf were expected to be related to his sacking of the judges, but in his speech he strongly defended every aspect of his time in power -- even the coup nine years ago.

He said he had helped establish law and order, improve democracy and human rights and burnish the country's international stature.

"On the map of the world Pakistan is now an important country, by the grace of Allah," Musharraf said.

The president was also backed into a corner by the resurgency of Islamic militants in the tribal areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, who launched a massive wave of attacks last year that left more than 1,000 dead.

Musharraf's strong public stance against Islamic militancy inevitably made him enemies.

He survived three assassination attempts while holding what some have called the most dangerous job in the world, and went from being a backer of the Taliban to a close US ally after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

In his address, Musharraf rejected criticism that he had undermined democracy in Pakistan and insisted he had acted in "good faith" while trying to fight the challenges of militancy and an unsteady economy.

Cheering crowds poured into the streets in some places after his announcement, but there was little immediate reaction from outside the country -- the second most populous Islamic nation and the only one with an atom bomb.

"We hope that the resignation of President Musharraf... leads to a strengthening of the civilian government and democracy in Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Musharraf's resignation was to be formally handed in to parliament later in the day.

Bhutto's son Bilawal said his successor would be from her party but there was no immediate indication about any candidates.

Gold9472
08-18-2008, 06:30 PM
Rice says US asylum for Musharraf 'not on the table'

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Rice_says_US_asylum_for_Musharraf_n_08172008.html

8/16/2008

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday that granting asylum to embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is not currently under consideration by the United States.

"That's not an issue on the table, and I just want to keep our focus on what we must do with the democratic government of Pakistan," Rice told Fox News on Sunday when asked if Washington would give the Pakistan president asylum.

She spoke as Pakistan's ruling coalition readied impeachment charges against Musharraf and gave him two days to step down.

Asked if it would be in the best interest of Pakistan to have Musharraf resign, Rice said: "This is a matter for the Pakistanis to resolve.

"We have been supportive of democratic elections that took place in Pakistan. In fact, advocated for them."

She said the United States had showed its support for the new government, citing President George W. Bush's recent meeting with Pakistani premier Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Rice said "President Musharraf has been a good ally" but that Washington had disagreed with his decision to declare a state of emergency.

A spokesman for Musharraf -- who seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999 and went on to become a linchpin in the US-led "war on terror" -- has repeatedly denied that the president is going to resign.

But attorney general Malik Qayyum, a close confidant of Musharraf, said the president would wait until the impeachment motion is filed before choosing a course of action.

The United States and its European allies are anxious for Pakistan to resolve the political impasse so it can renew the fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where nearly 500 people have died in the past week

Gold9472
08-19-2008, 09:24 PM
Pakistanis jubilant over Musharraf's resignation

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Pakistanis_jubilant_over_Musharrafs_resignation_08 19.html

Reuters
8/19/2008

MULTAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistanis danced in the streets on Monday after beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation, with many ordinary people hoping his departure would bring improvement to their lives.

After ruling Pakistan single-handedly for nearly nine years, the former army chief and close ally of the United States announced his resignation in a televised address in the face of an impending impeachment by the ruling coalition government.

Lawyers, who have spearheaded an anti-Musharraf campaign since he tried to sack the chief justice last year, stormed out of courts in the southeastern city of Multan on hearing of Musharraf's resignation, shouting "Down with the American stooge."

"It's just like I'm celebrating my wedding," said lawyer Malik Naveed, dancing among a crowd of about 400 colleagues.

Then army chief Musharraf was welcomed when he deposed an unpopular prime minister in a 1999 coup, ending a decade of fractious civilian rule.

But his popularity began to evaporate last year when he tried to dismiss the chief justice, and later imposed a six-week stint of emergency rule, cracking down on the media and detaining thousands of political activists.

Jaffar Shah, a retired soldier in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said: "The root cause of all problems has gone."

"I wish I could fire shots to show my joy but unfortunately I can't do that."

People in Karachi, the country's commercial capital, handed out sweets and danced in celebration.

"Thank God he's resigned. The country will do much better now. It's a victory for the people," said Mohammad Ilyas, 30.

ECONOMIC WOES
Critics have complained the wrangling over Musharraf distracted the new government's attention from worsening security and a deteriorating economy.

Inflation is at its highest in 30 years and fiscal and current account deficits are widening. The rupee has lost about a quarter of its value this year while stocks have plummeted about 50 percent from a record high set on April 21.

Some Pakistanis harbored what would appear to be unrealistic expectations for the post-Musharraf outlook: "Inflation is surely going to go down now," said Rifaqat Shah, 65, a businessman in Karachi. But others were less optimistic about the resignation of a leader who promoted an investor-friendly environment and oversaw good growth and surging stocks until this year.

"The country was doing better economically but now the politicians won't be able to preserve the economy and things will get worse," said another Karachi resident, Mariam Bibi.

Despite Musharraf's unpopularity, many Pakistanis are suspicious of the civilian politicians -- a number of whom have returned to power -- who were dogged by accusations of corruption and mismanagement when they ruled in the 1990s.

Some said they feared that with Musharraf gone, the coalition would be beset by infighting between parties that have traditionally been rivals.

"I'm not very hopeful. These politicians will again indulge in political bickering ... I don't think they will bring down prices," said Mohammad Faisal, a civil servant in Multan.

Gold9472
08-21-2008, 02:33 PM
Bush calls Musharraf and Pakistan's prime minister

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h1aBshjF1CnfJ4noaEXA_Vb8dm-gD92MOB1O1

3 hours ago

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President Bush has expressed solidarity with Pakistan, which has been wracked by political turmoil and suicide bombings that killed dozens of people.

From his vacation ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush called Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Separately, Bush called former President Pervez Musharraf, who was forced from power this week. The White House says Bush thanked Musharraf for his efforts in the democratic transition of Pakistan, as well as the fight against al-Qaida and extremist groups.

Aides said Thursday that Bush expressed his sympathies to Gilani for the recent terrorist attacks, and that the president and prime minister reaffirmed their mutual support for going after extremists.