The US, which backed President Pervez Musharraf for aiding the 'war on terror', on Friday said the decision to impeach the embattled leader is an "internal matter" of Pakistan, but must be "consistent with the rule of law and their constitution."
Some promises made in Benazir Butto's new manifesto strike at the very root of Musharraf's power base while others -- including handing over control of the Military Initelligence and the nuclear arsenal to the prime minister -- go even beyond that.
Warning that any move to impeach him could 'destabilise the country', 64-year-old Musharraf, who abruptly cancelled his visit to China to attend the Olympic Games opening, told leaders of his ally Pakistan Muslim League-Q that he would continue to play his constitutional role as the head of State.
A committee formed by former premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and her political rival Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party has completed 80 per cent of its work on drawing up the charter of demands, which is expected to be completed on Thursday.
Amid pressure from India and the US to rein in the Inter-Services Intelligence, President Pervez Musharraf has come to its rescue saying any attempt to target the spy agency will weaken Pakistan as it is "the first line of defence" and lashed out at his detractors for calling him an American stooge.
The United States has ruled out a military coup in Pakistan in the wake of the political chaos saying Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani is a staunch supporter of democracy and doesn't want to take over like his predecessor Pervez Musharraf did in 1999.
Addressing the caretaker Cabinet led by Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro at his camp office in Rawalpindi near Islamabad, Musharraf said the government's priority should be the holding of "free, fair and transparent elections and the peaceful transfer of power to the elected government."
Uttam Ghosh presents the likely avatars of Pakistan's new civilian president.
President Pervez Musharraf is expected to lift emergency in Pakistan in next the 48 hours, the Dawn news channel reported on Wednesday.
"What is the matter with these Commonwealth guys, why can they not trust me when I say maybe I will take off my uniform in a few days; I might remove the emergency after the elections, within a few days I intend to free the judges, lawyers, human rights activists, that I am the only true democrat in all of Pakistan," said one satirical post at thespoof.com.
Will Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf meet the fate of the Shah of Iran, another "unpopular" leader that the United States tried to prop up?
Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif on Sunday returned home from exile after being deported to Saudi Arabia on September 10.
Describing terrorism and extremism as a "common threat" to India and Pakistan, former President Pervez Musharraf on Friday said the two countries need to adopt a "new path of peace and harmony" to resolve the problem. "We are facing terrorism and extremism as a common threat to the whole world, the region, Pakistan and India. That is what we need to discuss and find solutions (and work) towards a resolution," he told reporters at the airport before leaving for New Delhi.
President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday sought to defend imposition of emergency in Pakistan, saying that foreign militants based in the country were planning terrorist strikes all over the world.
Pakistan journalist Hamid Mir on issues like Musharraf's compulsions in resorting to this extreme measure, conducting elections and restoring democracy in Pakistan, whether its nuclear weapons are in danger of falling into extremists' hands and what the ramifications for India would be.
By indulging in agitation, Bhutto, the leader of Pakistan People's Party, is "strengthening the impression that she is sure of her party's defeat in the elections", Musharraf said at a farewell meeting with members of the outgoing assembly of Punjab province. "The politicians, including Benazir Bhutto, who are pursuing agitational politics, should do away with it and focus on electioneering so that elections could be held in a peaceful atmosphere," he said.
The ceremony was attended by former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, members of his Cabinet, National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, governors and provincial chief ministers, services chiefs, senators, federal secretaries, political leaders, diplomats and high civil and military officials.
The resolution was introduced on Thursday by Congressional panel on the Middle East and South Asia Chairman Gary Ackerman, a senior Democrat. Ackerman said the Bush Administration had, for too long, relied on one man to achieve the US anti-terrorism objectives in Pakistan. The President (Bush) has ignored democratic development there and turned a blind eye as General Musharraf has manipulated the political process to ensure his continued tenure in office.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday appointed the Chairman of the Senate (Upper House) Mohammad Mian Soomro as the caretaker prime minister of the country.
There was an unanimous endorsement of his decision to impose emergency, suspend the Constitution and sack Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhury. However, the majority of the commanders expressed their reservations over the wisdom of his attempts, under US pressure, to reach a power-sharing agreement with Benazir Bhutto.
The Commonwealth on Monday gave an ultimatum to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf asking him to repeal the emergency provisions.
It was mayhem at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) this week with foreign investors withdrawing around $185 million from equity and $50 million from government bonds on four trading days after imposition of emergency by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
The US defence secretary's visit comes ahead of the visit by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
Speaking to a television channel over phone from Saudi Arabia, he said, "If Benazir abandons her negotiations with Musharraf, we can work together and launch a joint struggle."
Undeterred by the government's ban on public meetings under emergency rule, former premier Benazir Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party on Wednesday vowed to go ahead with a planned rally in the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday.
The question of whether General Musharraf will remain army chief for another five years or take off his uniform then will have to be settled by the new parliament in 2008 as happened in 2003.
President Pervez Musharraf has declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, the state run PTV reported on Saturday evening. He issued the provisional constitutional ordinance in his capacity as the chief of the army staff. Immediately after the announcement, army troops entered the Supreme Court building in Islamabad. Reports said that, Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry is likely to be removed from his post. Reports also suggested that Chaudhry has been detained.
The environment has shifted towards a peaceful resolution, and progress was being made in dialogue process with India but at the same time more work need to be done towards its consolidation, Musharraf said.
The apex court detailed its views in a 26-page judgment on Friday on a petition seeking a review of its earlier validation of the emergency. A 13-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar refused to take back an earlier judgment in favour of Musharraf. The judgement also made observations about the deposed judges, the lawyers' movement and the media.
The United States has advised former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif to adopt a lenient view on the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf and let him determine his own future.The US advice came as Assistant Secretary of state Richard Boucher met Sharif at the Raiwind farm house near Lahore on Tuesday.He said the US should let Pakistan settle its issues by itself. He added if the US could not facilitate Pakistan, it should not interfere in its internal affairs.
No former army general would be appointed at the head of a caretaker government in Pakistan, media reports said. It has also been decided that the federal and provincial cabinets would not comprise armed forces personnel and intelligence agencies have been issued orders not to interfere in the upcoming general elections, The News quoted highly placed sources as saying.
Insisting that it is "incorrect" to dub him as a "dictator", Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that he only did what he felt was for the betterment of the nation.
Musharraf also underlined the need to seize the historic opportunity before the two countries to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Saudi Arabia is pressing Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to allow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to return home before the upcoming general elections, media reports said.
India's political system came in for praise on Monday in Pakistan's Supreme Court, with the country being described as a "good example of a democratic state" with politicians exhibiting the virtue of tolerance.
Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto is eyeing several key posts in the proposed interim set up to conduct general elections in the country.
The joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism met for the third time after it was set up in line with a decision taken during a meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the margins of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana in September 2006. According to reports, India may raise the recent terror attacks in Jaipur, Ajmer and Hyderabad in the meeting while Pakistan is expected to sought details of last year's Samjhauta Express blast.
Pakistan's embattled President Pervez Musharraf is seeking to step down if given indemnity for all his questionable actions under the Constitution.President Musharraf has decided to resign from his office after the lawyers' long march on June 13, where PML-N chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to hold him accountable at all costs. Recently, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari revealed that the future President would hail from his party.
With Pakistan's ruling coalition gunning for President Pervez Musharraf, the United States has said that he made a "number of mistakes" during his eight-year reign including imposing a state of emergency last year.
Pakistan on Monday said there was "no contradiction" between President Pervez Musharraf's proposal of demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir and the relocation of troops by India.
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