Musharraf to become civilian ruler on Thursday

Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf will be sworn in as a civilian on Thursday, his spokeman saidin the first official schedule for the end of military rule.

Musharraf, having secured a second five-year term, thanks to a new panel of friendly judges who validated his October 6 election victory, will quit as army chief and take the oath as a civilian president on Thursday, his spokesman said.

"President Musharraf will take the oath as a civilian president on the 29th and he will pay farewell visits to various military headquarters on the 27th and 28th," spokesman Rashid Qureshi told reporters.

Top military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said that Musharraf would officially step down as army chief on Wednesday.

It would meet a key demand of the international community outraged by his imposition of a state of emergency, but is unlikely to placate opposition leaders at home who are threatening to boycott January 8 general elections.

Musharraf's camp hopes opposition parties will take part as a poll without them would lack credibility.