Musharraf resignation 'end of all problems' for Pakistanis

Multan: Pakistanis danced in the streets on Monday after beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation, with many ordinary people hoping his departure would bring improvement to their lives.

After ruling Pakistan single-handedly for nearly nine years, the former army chief and close ally of the United States announced his resignation in a televised address in the face of an impending impeachment by the ruling coalition government.

Lawyers, who have spearheaded an anti-Musharraf campaign since he tried to sack the chief justice last year, stormed out of courts in the southeastern city of Multan on hearing of Musharraf's resignation, shouting, "Down with the American stooge."

"It's just like I'm celebrating my wedding," said lawyer Malik Naveed, dancing among a crowd of about 400 colleagues.

Root of all issues

Jaffar Shah, a retired soldier in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said: "The root cause of all problems has gone.

"I wish I could fire shots to show my joy but unfortunately I can't do that."

People in Karachi, the country's commercial capital, handed out sweets and danced in celebration.

"Thank God he's resigned. The country will do much better now. It's a victory for the people," said Mohammad Ilyas.

Despite Musharraf's unpopularity, many Pakistanis are suspicious of the civilian politicians - a number of whom have returned to power - who were dogged by accusations of corruption and mismanagement when they ruled in the 1990s.

Some said they feared that with Musharraf gone, the coalition would be beset by infighting between parties that have traditionally been rivals.

"I'm not very hopeful. These politicians will again indulge in political bickering ... I don't think they will bring down prices," said Mohammad Faisal, a civil servant in Multan.

Musharraf left the presidency about four hours after his speech amid tight security and was given a farewell guard of honour.

The coalition leadership met at the residence of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to chart out a course for the post-Musharraf era.

They were to decide when to restore the dozens of judges including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, whose conflict with the ruler after he charged him with misconduct in March 2007 unleashed a crisis that ultimately led to his downfall.

Zardari and Sharif, in a joint communique issued after their crucial fence-mending talks on August 7, announced plans to impeach the president and pledged the judges would be restored immediately after the impeachment.

Call for trial

Amid euphoria among PPP and PML-N workers as well as lawyers over Musharraf's ouster, the coalition leadership was also expected to decide a vital issue - whether or not to bring Musharraf to account.

PML-N parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Musharraf must be put in the dock for his "crimes." Another PML-N senior leader Javed Hashmi also called for a trial.

Reactions: Call for democracy

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

"We will continue to work with the Pakistani government and political leaders and urge them to redouble their focus on Pakistan's future and its most urgent needs, including stemming the growth of extremism, addressing food and energy shortages, and improving economic stability."

Spokesman for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

"We support measures that promote strong democratic institutions that lead to greater stability, democracy and rule of law in Pakistan."

Russia's Foreign Ministry

"We hope the resignation of Pakistani President P. Musharraf will not have negative consequences for internal stability in this major Asian country."

French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Frederic Desagneaux

"France calls on all of Pakistan's political forces to respect the constitutional framework and the rule of law. We hope the next president and the Pakistani government can work in a constructive atmosphere."

- Reuters

The future: Next steps

- Reuters