Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf has agreed to give up his powers to dissolve Parliament and dismiss the Prime Minister following several rounds of secret parleys with the ruling Pakistan People's Party, a media report said today.

The embattled President conveyed his in-principle assent to the removal of his sweeping powers under Article 58(2b) of the constitution to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari through a messenger, Dawn News channel reported.

The presidential camp contacted Zardari after several rounds of secret talks between Musharraf's aides and the PPP, the channel said.

However, Musharraf linked the repeal of the controversial constitutional article to two conditions -- that legal cover would be provided to all the actions he had taken as army chief after imposing emergency on November 3 last year and that the National Security Council would not be scrapped.

The channel also quoted sources in the presidential camp as saying that Musharraf would back the reinstatement of dozens of judges he sacked during the emergency provided he is allowed to serve as constitutional head of state for his full tenure.

Musharraf was re-elected for a five-year term in October last year before he doffed his military uniform. While the PPP has been saying that it is willing to forge a "working relationship" with Musharraf, its coalition partner PML-N has been insisting that the President should quit. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif made a fresh demand for Musharraf to step down yesterday while unveiling plans to restore the deposed judges on May 12.
Source : PTI