Pakistan army to ask Musharraf to resign
(NSI News Source Info) 9 August, 2008 London: Pakistan's Army is planning to ask embattled President Musharraf to relinquish office in a week, as its top brass do not want him impeached, a news report said today.Quoting a senior official from the ruling government coalition partner, the Pakistan's People's Party, 'The Daily Telegraph' said that Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Kiyani has already "whispered in Musharraf's ear that it is time to leave.""Over the next few days they will make it clear to him (Musharraf) that a protracted battle (against impeachment) is not in Pakistan's interests," the unnamed official claimed.One of the main arbiters of power in Pakistan, the Army has already publicly declared that the military would take a "neutral" stand on the country's domestic politics."The Army is neutral but is expecting him to resign. It will then influence his honourable safe passage as the Army's senior leadership do not want him punished," a former military aide to the President told the British daily. Senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, a close aide of Sharif, yesterday claimed that the combined strength of the coalition parties was around 300 members. Despite Iqbal's claim, anti-Musharraf parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami and some Balochistan based nationalist parties currently sitting in opposition benches in the Senate, have a total of 274 members 235 in the National Assembly and 39 in the Senate which is short of the required number.According to the latest count after by-polls in June, the ruling PPP has 124 members in the assembly, PML-N 92, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam six and Awami National Party 13.In the opposition PML-Q-dominated Senate, the PPP has 10 members, PML-N four, the Jamiat and its allies 18 and the ANP two, plus five others.Several dissident PML-Q members and Baloch groups in the Senate are expected to throw their weight behind the impeachment motion. Observers also believe the 27 independent members in both houses of parliament, particularly those from tribal areas, will play a crucial role.The coalition has claimed it has the support of 16 parliamentarians from the tribal areas and two of them participated in the news conference addressed by Zardari and Sharif to announce the move to impeach Musharraf.Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary general of the opposition PML-Q which has vowed to defend Musharraf, had alleged that the coalition was resorting to horse trading by trying to "buy" the votes of parliamentarians.Senior PPP leader Raza Rabbani, the leader of the house in the Senate, rejected the allegation, saying the coalition was "not short of numbers" and had no need to go in for horse-trading.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Pakistan army to ask Musharraf to resign
Pakistan army to ask Musharraf to resign
(NSI News Source Info) 9 August, 2008 London: Pakistan's Army is planning to ask embattled President Musharraf to relinquish office in a week, as its top brass do not want him impeached, a news report said today.Quoting a senior official from the ruling government coalition partner, the Pakistan's People's Party, 'The Daily Telegraph' said that Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Kiyani has already "whispered in Musharraf's ear that it is time to leave.""Over the next few days they will make it clear to him (Musharraf) that a protracted battle (against impeachment) is not in Pakistan's interests," the unnamed official claimed.One of the main arbiters of power in Pakistan, the Army has already publicly declared that the military would take a "neutral" stand on the country's domestic politics."The Army is neutral but is expecting him to resign. It will then influence his honourable safe passage as the Army's senior leadership do not want him punished," a former military aide to the President told the British daily. Senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, a close aide of Sharif, yesterday claimed that the combined strength of the coalition parties was around 300 members. Despite Iqbal's claim, anti-Musharraf parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami and some Balochistan based nationalist parties currently sitting in opposition benches in the Senate, have a total of 274 members 235 in the National Assembly and 39 in the Senate which is short of the required number.According to the latest count after by-polls in June, the ruling PPP has 124 members in the assembly, PML-N 92, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam six and Awami National Party 13.In the opposition PML-Q-dominated Senate, the PPP has 10 members, PML-N four, the Jamiat and its allies 18 and the ANP two, plus five others.Several dissident PML-Q members and Baloch groups in the Senate are expected to throw their weight behind the impeachment motion. Observers also believe the 27 independent members in both houses of parliament, particularly those from tribal areas, will play a crucial role.The coalition has claimed it has the support of 16 parliamentarians from the tribal areas and two of them participated in the news conference addressed by Zardari and Sharif to announce the move to impeach Musharraf.Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary general of the opposition PML-Q which has vowed to defend Musharraf, had alleged that the coalition was resorting to horse trading by trying to "buy" the votes of parliamentarians.Senior PPP leader Raza Rabbani, the leader of the house in the Senate, rejected the allegation, saying the coalition was "not short of numbers" and had no need to go in for horse-trading.
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