Top Pakistan Official: Musharraf Should Step Down

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A senior member of a key party in Pakistan’s shaky coalition government called yesterday for President Musharraf to step down for the “survival” of the country, a day after the former army strongman insisted he’s not going anywhere.Shahbaz Sharif blasted Mr. Musharraf the day he was elected the chief minister of Pakistan’s most powerful province, Punjab. It was a position he had held before his brother, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was toppled by Mr. Musharraf in a 1999 military coup.“In the larger interest of country and for its survival, I request that General Musharraf resign and go home,” Mr. Sharif told an audience that chanted “Go, Musharraf, Go!”The president’s fate has been a key focus of squabbling in Pakistan’s fractious coalition government, tension that comes as the country faces a dire economic situation and ongoing militancy in its regions bordering Afghanistan.Both the parties of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari won February elections on anti-Musharraf platforms. But Mr. Sharif’s party has been more vociferous, demanding Mr. Musharraf’s impeachment, while Zardari’s party has generally adopted a softer tone.The coalition has already threatened to unravel because of a dispute between the two parties over how to restore dozens of judges sacked by Mr. Musharraf.Earlier yesterday, a spokesman for Mr. Sharif’s party, Ahsan Iqbal, called Mr. Musharraf “a virus in the democratic computer” and said Mr. Zardari’s party should not hesitate to “join us for Musharraf’s impeachment.”A fellow party member, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said the party already had prepared a 10-point document to use against Mr. Musharraf “when the impeachment is taken up.”A spokesman for Mr. Zardari’s party, said only it would “consider” pushing for impeachment proceedings in light of Mr. Musharraf’s defiance. However, he added, “Right now I can’t say whether the party is going to go ahead with impeachment and if so when.”It was unclear whether the coalition could muster the two-thirds vote needed for Parliament to impeach Mr. Musharraf.On Saturday, Mr. Musharraf — a longtime American ally in the war on terror — deflected rising calls for his resignation and denied he planned to go into exile.Although Mr. Musharraf insisted he would not leave under pressure, he indicated he would prefer to retire if the government succeeds in reducing his position to a ceremonial one.“Parliament is supreme. Whatever the Parliament decides I will accept it,” Mr. Musharraf said on Pakistani TV news.“If I see that I don’t have any role to play, then it is better to play golf,” he said. “I cannot become a useless vegetable.”Mr. Sharif’s party has in the past not only called for Mr. Musharraf’s impeachment but also demanded he be tried for treason — which carries the death penalty. But Mr. Zardari’s party is unlikely to support such a tough course of action, which would upset Pakistan’s allies in the West, including President Bush, who has publicly backed Mr. Musharraf.Mr. Musharraf appealed to political leaders to unite and address economic woes. Pakistan faces trade and budget deficits, double-digit inflation, and severe electricity shortages.The new government is also under pressure over its efforts to strike peace deals with militants in its border regions, agreements America worries will give extremists time to regroup and intensify attacks in Afghanistan.

Top Pakistan Official: Musharraf Should Step Down

Top Pakistan Official: Musharraf Should Step Down

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