Exit Musharraf?

[Gunny]

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is expected to resign Monday and fly into exile in Saudi Arabia, where he is to remain for the next three months, a former aide to the president has told NEWSWEEK on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The aide added that the news had been relayed to the nation's top military brass, including its powerful corps commanders. Though a current aide to Musharraf confirms that the president will resign, officially, Musharraf's camp denies the story. "Your source is a liar," retired Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, a presidential spokesman, told NEWSWEEK when asked about the president's resignation and possible flight into exile. "The information you have is absolutely untrue."

The 65-year-old Musharraf, who has ruled the country of 170 million with an authoritarian hand for nearly nine years, may be seeking to avoid a humiliating impeachment trial before a largely hostile parliament and to protect himself from possible criminal prosecution. Still, the exit of Washington's one-time point man in the war on terror is unlikely to solve Pakistan's myriad ills, including economic and political instability, government paralysis and an increasingly aggressive Islamic insurgency along the frontier with Afghanistan. It could even add to Pakistan's volatility, as the president's main nemeses and ruling coalition partners, Pakistani People's Party co-chairmen Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, begin to jockey for position to fill a power vacuum created by Musharraf's departure.

more ...Pakistan's Musharraf to Resign, Leave the Country | Newsweek International | Newsweek.com

 

[jillian]

And round and round the nukes go.... where they stop...nobody knows.

 

[CA95380]

And round and round the nukes go.... where they stop...nobody knows.

Let's they stop here ---->

Nevermind .... don't want anyone accusing me of supporting "genocide" ... heaven forbid!

 

[Denny Crane]

With his exit comes uncertainty. This might not be a good thing for us.

 

[Avatar4321]

And round and round the nukes go.... where they stop...nobody knows.

Go Whammy! Go Whammy! Go Whammy... Stop!

 

[waltky]

Means dey keepin' him in jail where he can't get away an' `cause trouble...

Pakistan judge remands ex-president Musharraf in custody
20 Apr.`13 - A Pakistani court remanded former president Pervez Musharraf in custody for two weeks on Saturday as judges pushed ahead with plans to put the former army chief on trial for a crackdown on the judiciary during his time in office.

Hundreds of lawyers jeered at Musharraf and scuffled with his supporters as he appeared at the Islamabad court a day after police arrested him at his home -- a breach with an unwritten rule in Pakistan that ex-generals are above the law. The judge ruled that he be detained until his next court appearance on May 4. Musharraf's spokesman said authorities had decided that he would be placed under house arrest at his farmhouse residence on the edge of Islamabad. "The government has declared Musharraf's farmhouse as the jail, and he will be moved there from police headquarters," said spokesman Mohammad Amjad.

Pakistan's former president and head of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) political party Pervez Musharraf (R) is escorted by security officials as he leaves an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad

Musharraf's appearance sparked chaotic scenes in the court complex as police formed a human chain to prevent protesting lawyers --- who chanted "Down with Musharraf" -- from getting closer to the former president. Musharraf left the court after his brief appearance and returned to police headquarters, where he has been detained in a police guest house. Musharraf is facing allegations that he overstepped his powers in a showdown with the judiciary in 2007 when he sacked the chief justice and placed judges under house arrest.

Musharraf's moves against the judiciary earned him widespread scorn among an increasingly activist cadre of lawyers and judges, who have themselves been accused of overstepping the normal limits of judicial authority in their confrontations with the civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Musharraf's office issued a statement late on Friday saying the allegations were baseless and politically motivated. Signaling the seriousness with which they view the case, judges have ruled that Musharraf must face trial in an anti-terrorism court, since detaining judges could be considered an attack on the state.

Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, resigned in 2008 and went into self-imposed exile in London and Dubai. He returned to Pakistan last month to try to stage a return to public life by running for a National Assembly seat in a May 11 parliamentary election, but election officers disqualified him. Instead of triggering a hoped-for groundswell of popular support, Musharraf became the first former army chief to be arrested in Pakistan when police took him into custody at their headquarters on Friday.

CHANGING BALANCE OF POWER

 

[waltky]

Well, there goes Mushy's hopes fer another term...

Pakistan court bans Musharraf from office for life
Apr 30,`13 -- A Pakistani court on Tuesday banned former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from running for public office for the rest of his life, the latest blow since he returned from exile last month to make a political comeback.

The ban came as Pakistan's powerful army chief pledged in a rare speech that the military would do everything in its power to ensure the parliamentary election is held as scheduled on May 11, despite the Taliban's attempt to disrupt the vote by attacking candidates. One of Musharraf's lawyers, Saad Shibli, said he would go to the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling against his client, claiming the former leader should not be singled out for punishment for his actions while in power since others were involved. "About 500 officials at different levels and institutions were part of Musharraf's actions, and if those actions come under scrutiny, all those people should be involved in this matter," Shibli said.

Judges had previously barred Musharraf from running in the parliamentary election scheduled for May 11. The Peshawar High Court handed down the lifetime ban Tuesday after hearing an appeal by Musharraf's lawyer to allow him to run in the upcoming election. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March after four years in self-imposed exile, but his fortunes have gone from bad to worse since he arrived. He is currently under house arrest in connection with a pair of court cases against him. One involves his decision to fire senior judges, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court, while in power. The other relates to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Government prosecutors have accused Musharraf of being involved - allegations he has denied.

Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999 when he was serving as army chief and ruled for nearly a decade. He stepped down in 2008 because of growing discontent with his rule. He returned to Pakistan despite Taliban death threats, but was met by only a few thousand people when his plane landed in the southern port city of Karachi. Analysts said the response showed how little public support he enjoyed in the country. The run-up to next month's parliamentary election has been marred by violence, much of it carried out by the Pakistani Taliban.

On Tuesday, gunmen killed a politician running for a provincial assembly seat in southwestern Baluchistan province in an attack that seemed to be the result of a political rivalry, said local government official Saeed Ahmad. The Taliban have killed at least 60 people in attacks on candidates and party workers since the beginning of April. Many have targeted secular parties, raising concerns the violence could benefit hard-line Islamic politicians and others who take a softer line toward the militants. The military plans to deploy troops on election day to provide security. Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said Tuesday that the soldiers will do everything they can to limit disruptions.

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