Pak prez steps down hours before parliament initiates impeachment process

ISLAMABAD: Celebrations broke out across the cities of Pakistan on Monday as the nine-year rule of the countrys fourth dictator, Pervez Musharraf, ended when he quit the presidency to avoid being impeached by the national assembly. It was 20 years ago, almost to the day, that Pakistans third military ruler, General Zia-ul-Haq, died in a plane crash on August 17,1988.

Hours before the assembly was to start impeachment proceedings under Article 47 of the Constitution, Musharraf bid goodbye to his countrymen with a prayer: "May Allah protect Pakistan."

Musharraf said he was resigning to avoid a battle that would harm the countrys interests and called for an end to the politics of confrontation. In an emotional, televised address, he launched into an hour-long review of his "achievements" before tearfully announcing his departure.

"I will turn in my resignation to the national assembly speaker today and leave the presidency," he said. "I hope the nation and the people of Pakistan will forgive my mistakes as I believe that whatever I have done in the past was in good faith; for the betterment of the people and for the country."

The sound of banging drums and cheers of joy echoed throughout the ancient walled city of Lahore. Elsewhere, people fired Kalashnikov assault rifles in the air to celebrate.

Defending his record, Musharraf said allegations had been made against him by the coalition at the behest of vested interests. "Even if the impeachment fails, the relations between the presidency and the parliament will never be the same again," he said. "As Pakistan first has been my philosophy, I eventually decided to quit without creating a fuss in the supreme national interest."

But Musharrafs exit may not bring stability to Pakistan. Analysts believe the exit of their common enemy may exacerbate the differences between the two major partners in the ruling coalition, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

PML(N) president Nawaz Sharif is dead set against granting amnesty to Musharraf and wants him tried for all his unconstitutional acts since he ousted Sharif, then prime minister, in a coup in October 1999.

Musharraf, however, remained defiant, saying, "No charge sheet can stand against me.
Not even a single charge can be proven against me as I have full trust in almighty Allah and I did everything with the belief of Pakistan first."

Musharraf probably felt betrayed by the party he had nurtured - the PML (Quaid-e-Azam) - and his friends, who began to abandon him as soon as he handed over the armys command to General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani.

Musharrafs vision of leadership is spelt out on his website, where he quotes Napoleon to say, "Besides all qualities, a leader has to be lucky to succeed. Therefore, I must succeed." But his luck began running out on March 9 last year, when he suspended Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

President Musharraf has been a friend to the United States and one of the worlds most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism. He made the critical choice to join the fight against Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other extremist groups that threaten the peace and security of Pakistan, its neighbours, and partners throughout the world. For this, he has our deep gratitude.
- Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state

God has saved us from this cursed person, and he should not be allowed to go abroad.
[If he goes into exile] I think he should be tried in absentia and convicted for abrogating the Constitution, for detaining many people.
- Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistani scientist accused of leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea

I am extremely proud of my country today. A few days after the assassination of my mother, I had said that democracy is the best revenge. Indeed, democracy is the greatest revenge.
- Bilawal Bhutto, PPP chairman and son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto

 

Source : DNA