Musharraf retires as Pakistan army chief

NF Reporter · 11-28-2007, 08:02 AM

AP - Pervez Musharraf stepped down as Pakistan's military commander Wednesday, fulfilling a key opposition demand a day before he was to be sworn in as a civilian president.

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waltky · 01-11-2008, 11:26 AM

Mush callin' their bluff...

Musharraf will quit if next govt seeks his impeachment
Jan 11, 2008 : Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said that he would resign in case the new government post February 18 polls sought his impeachment.

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Calling the allegations of election rigging "a national insult", he said that postal votes were packed honestly and transparently, though he did not know how prisoners' votes were cast.

"If anybody has information on ghost polling stations in any part of the country, they should bring it into the government's notice," the Daily Times quoted him as saying with the Strait Times.

He clarified that he had nothing to do with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif's disqualification from the elections, saying that it was the Election Commission's job to permit or disqualify election candidates.

Musharraf will quit if next govt seeks his impeachment

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Musharraf Warns U.S. Against Entering Pakistan
Jan 11, 2008 - Pakistan Warns US of Entering Border Regions to Fight al-Qaida

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President Pervez Musharraf warned that U.S. troops would be regarded as invaders if they crossed into Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan in the hunt for al-Qaida or Taliban militants, according to an interview published Friday. Musharraf, whose popularity has plummeted amid a surge in extremist attacks in recent months, also told Singapore's The Straits Times that he would resign if opposition parties tried to impeach him following next month's parliamentary elections.

Pakistan is under growing U.S. pressure to crack down on militants in its tribal regions close to the Afghan border. The rugged area has long been considered a likely hiding place for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, as well as an operating ground for Taliban militants planning attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The New York Times reported last week that Washington was considering expanding the authority of the Central Intelligence Agency and the military to peruse aggressive covert operations within the tribal regions. Musharraf told the Straits Times that U.S. troops would "certainly" be considered invaders if they set foot in the tribal regions.

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waltky · 02-29-2008, 04:03 AM

Granny says, "Dey gonna have t' drag `im out kickin' an' screamin'...

Musharraf plans to remain president
Feb. 28, 2008 -- Pervez Musharraf, threatened with impeachment by the opposition, plans to complete his term as president of Pakistan, a close associate said.

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Pervez Elahi and a delegation of other members of Musharraf's political party, the Muslim League Q, met with the president, the Press Trust of India reported. "He has been elected president for five years," Elahi said. "He will remain president for five years."

Michael McConnell, the U.S. director of national intelligence, suggested that Musharraf might be vulnerable to impeachment. He said the Muslim League N, the party headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan Peoples Party do not have the votes for impeachment but might if independents join them.

The Feb. 18 election was a disaster for Musharraf and for religious Muslim parties. Musharraf also reportedly told his political allies he will fight any efforts to strip the presidency of its powers.

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waltky · 05-30-2008, 04:53 PM

True an' loyal Fearless W stands by his man in Pakistan...

Bush reaffirms support to Pervez Musharraf
31 May 2008, US President George W Bush on Friday reaffirmed his support for his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf amidst growing demands within the country for the military ruler to step down.

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In a telephone call to Musharraf, Bush said he looked forward to working with Musharraf to further strengthen relations between the two countries. Bush also reiterated his country's strong support for Pakistan, TV channels reported.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the conversation between the two leaders was a follow-up to Bush's recent meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during a World Economic Forum meet in Egypt.

Observers noted that this was Bush's first call to Musharraf after a long time and was an indication of the US support for the Pakistani president, who is considered a key ally in the war on terror.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, a key ally in the new Pakistan People's Party-led ruling coalition, on Friday again called on Musharraf to quit. However, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was more circumspect, saying the parliament and the people would decide the president's fate.

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A Q Khan blames Mush for Pak woes
30 May 2008, Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan has turned against embattled President Pervez Musharraf, who pardoned him for proliferation activities four years ago, blaming him for the various problems confronting the country that had "gone to the dogs".

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Khan, confined to his home here for the past four years by Musharraf after he admitted to proliferating nuclear secrets, claimed he had never done anything illegal. He said he would reveal further details of the proliferation scandal at an "appropriate time". He said Pakistan has not been able to make much headway in economic development even after becoming "self-sufficient" in defence matters by testing nuclear devices in May 1998.

"This has not happened. (In) the last 10 years, the country has gone to the dogs," he told Dawn News channel in a telephonic interview. "People are hungry. You see the (rising) prices and all." Asked if he blamed the President for the country's problems, Khan replied, "The team leader is responsible for the failure of the team. But all those who were with him did not assert themselves and they did not do a proper job."

However, Khan said the newly elected civilian government should be given more time to tackle the country's problems. Referring to the charges of nuclear proliferation, Khan said he felt betrayed by the people who made him "confess to being guilty of something that he had nothing to do with". He added: "I was not part of any illegal or unauthorised (matters)." After Khan took responsibility for heading a proliferation network that passed nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea during a confession on state-run television in February 2004, Musharraf pardoned him and ordered his detention.

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