Speculation over Musharraf ouster
President Pervez Musharraf decided to press ahead with a visit to the Beijing Olympic Games despite media reports that the ruling coalition has agreed on steps to remove him.
By Agencies |
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday decided to press ahead with a visit to the Beijing Olympic Games despite media reports that the ruling coalition has agreed on steps to remove him.
The foreign ministry announced Wednesday morning that Musharraf���s trip had been canceled. In the evening, it issued another statement saying it was on again.
`In view of our special relations with China, the president (Musharraf ) has decided to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics,������ the ministry said.
Musharraf will travel to China on Thursday. He was originally due to leave Wednesday.
It was not clear why the former army strongman changed his mind. The initial announcement fueled speculation he did not want to leave Pakistan when the coalition was maneuvering for his ouster.
The leaders of Pakistan���s main ruling parties met for a second day in Islamabad on Wednesday to iron out their differences over how to restore dozens of judges fired by Musharraf last year and to consider the unpopular president���s fate.
Pakistani newspapers, citing unnamed sources, reported that Asif Ali Zardari, head of the largest coalition party, and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the second-biggest party, had reached a consensus Tuesday on what steps to take to oust Musharraf.
Dawn daily said they had agreed to formally request that Musharraf step down and would impeach him through parliamentary measures `` if he did not oblige.������
Party officials declined to comment on the reports. After hours of talks on Wednesday at Zardari���s Islamabad residence, Sharif left to consult with members of his party. The outcome of the discussions remained unclear.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who heads the main pro-Musharraf party , claimed Wednesday the coalition lacked the two-thirds majority of lawmakers in Parliament to impeach the president.
But it has been a troubled alliance. Sharif pulled his ministers from the Cabinet in May after Zardari, leery of confronting US-backed president, stalled restoring the judges. The former premier has also been more hawkish than Zardari in demanding Musharraf���s ouster of Musharraf.
The foreign ministry announced Wednesday morning that Musharraf���s trip had been canceled. In the evening, it issued another statement saying it was on again.
`In view of our special relations with China, the president (Musharraf ) has decided to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics,������ the ministry said.
Musharraf will travel to China on Thursday. He was originally due to leave Wednesday.
It was not clear why the former army strongman changed his mind. The initial announcement fueled speculation he did not want to leave Pakistan when the coalition was maneuvering for his ouster.
The leaders of Pakistan���s main ruling parties met for a second day in Islamabad on Wednesday to iron out their differences over how to restore dozens of judges fired by Musharraf last year and to consider the unpopular president���s fate.
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Pakistani newspapers, citing unnamed sources, reported that Asif Ali Zardari, head of the largest coalition party, and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the second-biggest party, had reached a consensus Tuesday on what steps to take to oust Musharraf.
Dawn daily said they had agreed to formally request that Musharraf step down and would impeach him through parliamentary measures `` if he did not oblige.������
Party officials declined to comment on the reports. After hours of talks on Wednesday at Zardari���s Islamabad residence, Sharif left to consult with members of his party. The outcome of the discussions remained unclear.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who heads the main pro-Musharraf party , claimed Wednesday the coalition lacked the two-thirds majority of lawmakers in Parliament to impeach the president.
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Musharraf, who dominated Pakistan for eight years after ousting Sharif in a bloodless coup, was sidelined when Zardari and Sharif formed a coalition government after trouncing the former general���s allies in elections this February. But it has been a troubled alliance. Sharif pulled his ministers from the Cabinet in May after Zardari, leery of confronting US-backed president, stalled restoring the judges. The former premier has also been more hawkish than Zardari in demanding Musharraf���s ouster of Musharraf.
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