President's exit strategy plagued with difficulties

Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf has long been accustomed to firm political control over Pakistan.

His power has been unchallenged for most of the nine years since he led a military coup in 1999 while commanding the 500,000-strong army.

But as the country's newly elected politicians increasingly clamour for the 64-year-old former commando and retired army chief to step down, Musharraf is refusing to accept that he may have entered the dying days of his rule.

On Friday, the president reacted strongly to reports of his imminent resignation. A spokesman called them "totally baseless and malicious", adding that "such unsubstantiated reports were creating uncertainty and negatively impacting the economy of the country".

Exit strategy

Political observers believe that Musharraf's likely exit strategy is plagued with difficulties, especially as Nawaz Sharif - the former prime minister and a key partner in the current ruling coalition - is eager to press for Musharraf's prosecution.

Senior government officials familiar with the discussions around the president's exit strategy said that a prospective deal, which had seemed likely on Thursday, fell through because of Sharif's opposition to any compromise that would block the impeachment of his once-trusted colleague.

Sharif has reason to seek revenge against the former military chief, who oversaw a 1999 coup against him and engineered his subsequent exile to Saudi Arabia and the UK.

"We are not in favour of any amnesty for Musharraf. We want him to face charges on issues ranging from trampling over democracy to the way he ruled Pakistan," said Siddique-ul-Farooq, a leader of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party.

Musharraf is struggling to recover from the week-long crisis, which began when Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples party (PPP), announced plans to impeach him.

- Financial Times

Key players

Ashfaq Kiyani, Army Chief of Staff.

Pervez Musharraf's hand-picked successor moved quickly to establish his apolitical position, signalling in the past week that the armed forces would not become involved in politics.

Asif Ali Zardari,Co-chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party.

As leader of the largest faction in parliament, Zardari is central to deciding Musharraf's fate should there be an impeachment vote in parliament.

Nawaz Sharif, Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The former prime minister appears not to have forgiven Musharraf for arresting him in a 1999 military coup and subsequently overseeing his exile to Saudi Arabia.

- Financial Times