Coalition committee meets to finalise Musharraf's ouster

Islamabad: A Pakistan ruling coalition committee was close to finalising a charge-sheet to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, who quietly celebrated his 65th birthday on Monday under the shadow of the massive threat to his political fate.

Sources said the panel comprising senior figures from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) met in the parliament chamber of PPP's Raza Rabbani, leader of the house in the Senate.

The committee had almost finalised a charge-sheet draft, which covers misconduct, subversion of the constitution, imposition of emergency, assault on the judiciary and a host of other charges, the sources said.

The coalition is apparently jacking up pressure on Musharraf to resign to avoid impeachment, but according to media reports the beleaguered former army chief has once again made it clear through his spokesman he would not step down.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani chaired a meeting of members of National Assembly belong to PPP, PML-N, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema Islam and independents from federally administered tribal areas.

Finance Minister Naveed Qamar said after the meeting it was decided that the National Assembly that started proceedings yesterday would remain in session till passage of impeachment motion.

Qamar said the lawmakers assured full support to the move to oust Musharraf.

Three lawmakers from the former ruling PML-Q met the president yesterday, and one of them, Shaikh Wasan, told a private television channel Musharraf was ready to face the ouster move.

Political heartland

In Lahore, capital of the country's political heartland province of Punjab, the provincial assembly met to pass a resolution to demand from Musharraf to resign or a seek confidence vote from the new assemblies.

Similar resolutions are to be adopted by the remaining three regional assemblies over the coming days in Sindh, North West Frontier Province and Balochistan.

Also in Lahore, more two dozen provincial lawmakers of the pro-Musharraf PML-Q announced at a news conference that their forward bloc supported the impeachment bid.

The leader of the rebel group Ata Mohammad Manika said they had committed a mistake in the past by backing Musharraf's authorities.

An impeachment motion has to come up before a joint session of the 342 member National Assembly and the 100-member Senate. If it is passed by two- thirds majority, the president will cease to hold office forthwith.

The unfolding political tussle is likely to come to a head by the end of August or in the first week of September, if the president sticks to his present position against resigning.

Critical moves

Information Minister Sherry Rehman described the impeachment move a "journey towards real democracy," while talking to reporters after attending the meeting of the charge-sheet drafting committee.

She said the opposition MPs would also support transition to complete democracy in Pakistan. "Everybody, who is democratic and a serious politician would wish to be remembered as voting on the right side of history," Rehman said.

PML-Q central executive met in Lahore Sunday evening and reiterated all-out support for Musharraf, warning the impeachment move would open a "pandora's box" and anything could happen in the "political chaos."

A leading national daily, in a dispatch from Washington, quoted official and diplomatic US sources as saying if Musharraf agreed to step down the Americans would like to ensure a secure and honourable stay for him in Pakistan.

According to the sources, the Americans have told the Pakistanis that they want to stay neutral on the impeachment issue and would support any move which was consistent with the rule of law and the country's constitution, the report in Dawn said.