Musharraf prepares to shed army uniform

Rawalpindi: Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf said farewell to military colleagues on Tuesday as he prepared to become a civilian president ahead of general elections in January.

Musharraf visited Joint Staff headquarters in Rawalpindi and the navy and air force headquarters in nearby Islamabad.

On Wednesday, he steps down as army chief to fulfill one of the long-held demands of his political rivals and Western allies.

Musharraf will be sworn in as a civilian president on Thursday, his spokesman said, after securing a second five-year term thanks to a new panel of judges who validated his October 6 election victory.

All the main Opposition parties have signed up for the January 8 parliamentary election, but former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, both back in Pakistan after years of exile, have said they may still boycott the vote which is being organised under emergency rule.