Musharraf refusing to quit as pressure mounts

Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s spokesman says he will not resign despite the move by Pakistan’s ruling coalition to finalise impeachment charges against him over the weekend.

Mr Musharraf is holding out against intense pressure to resign from political foes who swept February elections and relegated the stalwart US ally to the sidelines.

With Mr Musharraf’s usefulness fading, Western concerns are less with his ultimate fate than about how the clamour is affecting the halting efforts of the new civilian government against terrorism and gathering economic woes.

A committee of the ruling coalition finalised a list of impeachment charges against Mr Musharraf after five days of talks, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said.

A senior coalition leader said the charges included “a plethora of actions” taken by Mr Musharraf in “gross violation” of the constitution.

“He should tender his resignation, pack up his bags, and go,” Senator Raza Rabbani told reporters after the committee meeting in Islamabad.

“Whatever little moral authority was left has now been completely eroded.”

However, the officials released no details of the charges, which now go to coalition chiefs for a final decision on launching impeachment proceedings in Parliament.

They also were vague about the timing – leaving space for more back-channel talks aimed at smoothing a possible Musharraf exit and avoiding an unprecedented impeachment process.

If coalition leaders give a green light, “we will be presenting (the list) as part of a resolution and charge sheet in the joint houses and, God willing, that should happen this week,” Ms Rehman said.

The coalition insists it will easily secure the required two-thirds majority in a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses of Parliament to oust Mr Musharraf.

Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi said that Mr Musharraf would soldier on.

Mr Qureshi said: “This thing must be clear to everyone that President Musharraf is not going to resign, period.”