Pakistan’s Musharraf sets date to quit army
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said for the first time Wednesday that he expects to quit as chief of Pakistan’s army by the end of November, heralding a return to civilian rule.
But he also rejected U.S. pressure to quickly end a state of emergency and a demand from opposition leader Benazir Bhutto that he leave the political stage altogether.
Fearing that Musharraf could fall from power soon, the White House is trying to distance itself from him and build connections to other Pakistanis. Backing away from Musharraf requires delicate diplomacy that will fall this weekend to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who is to arrive here Friday. Negroponte is to reiterate Washington’s insistence that Musharraf end his state of emergency before elections, to be held by Jan. 9, diplomats said.
The U.S. Embassy here has stepped up meetings with opposition and pro-democracy leaders, military officers and other influential figures, envoys said.
The general, who seized power in a 1999 coup and sided with the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks, has appeared increasingly isolated since declaring an emergency and suspending the constitution Nov. 3.
Authorities have rounded up thousands of opposition and human-rights activists, purged the courts and blacked out independent TV news channels. The U.S. and other Western allies have been pushing for Musharraf to take off his uniform and end the emergency, warning it could undermine the legitimacy of the elections, meant to end eight years of direct military rule.
Washington wants Musharraf to share power with other moderate forces to try to rein in extremists allied with the Taliban and al-Qaida, who have seized control of swaths of territory near the Afghan border.
The Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies have threatened to suspend Pakistan unless the emergency is lifted by Nov. 22.
Musharraf had originally planned to quit as army chief by today, when his presidential mandate and the term of the current Parliament expire.
But he said he was forced to delay until a court ruled on his recent re-election. He said the exact timing would depend on the reconstituted Supreme Court but expected it to happen this month.
On Tuesday, Bhutto was put under house arrest for the second time in a week to prevent her from leading a protest. She responded by calling on Musharraf to resign and said that despite earlier negotiations, it would be impossible for her to work under him as president.
She said her party would likely boycott the elections - a threat already made by other opposition parties, including that of Nawaz Sharif, whose elected government was ousted in Musharraf’s 1999 coup. Together Bhutto and Sharif could form a powerful opposition bloc. Information from Newsday is included in this report.