ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, threatened by possible impeachment, is reconciled to stepping down before he is hounded out of office, according to a senior adviser to the new government.US ally Musharraf, who came to power as a general after a coup in 1999, has probably got a matter of weeks, at most a few months, before the curtain falls, political insiders say.
| So long, Perv, and thanks for the fish ... |
PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, the widower and political successor of the late Benazir Bhutto, has proposed a constitutional package that would strip Musharraf of power, but possibly afford him legal protection from foes who want to see him humiliated.
The PPP hopes to buy time to settle terms for the president's departure and steal the thunder from coalition partner Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister Musharraf overthrew. Sharif wants his usurper impeached or tried for treason. Officials say Musharraf wants indemnity for his actions on Nov. 3, when he suspended the constitution and imposed emergency rule to purge the judiciary before it could rule illegal his re-election the previous month while still army chief.
Independent analyst Nasim Zehra saw few options left for Musharraf. ‘I think he has no cards left,’ she said. ‘General Musharraf may be compelled to think of resigning sooner rather than later.’
A general election on Feb. 18 swept away Musharraf's parliamentary support and resulted in an uneasy alliance between Zardari and Sharif. To add to Musharraf's sense of isolation, retired generals, including some who served under him, have publicly criticised him and called for him to go.
| After all, Perv, you don't actually run the army any more ... |
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has asked Sharif to let Musharraf leave peacefully without pressing too hard for him to be put on trial, according to Pakistani officials. Last November, the Saudi monarch pressured Musharraf into letting Sharif return from exile in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
Before leaving for London on Tuesday, Sharif again called for Musharraf to be put on trial for treason or impeached.
| So Sharif won't extend the favor that was extended to him ... |