Pakistan’s ruling coalition today rejected President Pervez Musharraf's call for reconciliation and announced that a chargesheet for his impeachment would be finalised tomorrow, but apparently faced differences among allies on giving a “safe passage” to him.
“Democratic forces in Pakistan have come together to defeat dictatorship,” Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in his Independence Day address, hours after Musharraf belied speculation of his resignation and pressed for rapprochement.
The embattled 65-year-old President's speech last night was seen as a move to buy time for bowing out “honourably” without facing next week's impeachment in Parliament. The chargesheet against Musharraf for “violation of the Constitution and gross misconduct is almost complete and we just have to give the finishing touches to it,” ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Farhatullah Babar told reporters here.
He said the drafting committee will hold its final meeting tomorrow to complete the document.
Amid reported moves by the US and UK to seek a “graceful exit” for Musharraf, PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif today openly opposed any such relief.
“Should a person who has reduced Pakistan to this condition be given safe passage? They ask for safe passage after breaking the law and violating the constitution, selling out the country's sovereignty, ruining the country and making the people poor,” said Sharif, who was ousted by Mussharraf in a 1999 coup, addressing an independence day rally in Lahore as supporters shouted “Hang Musharraf”.
But the PPP, which heads the coalition, for the first time came out in public about its willingness to consider a possible “safe passage” for Musharraf.”The provision of safe passage to the President is based on his attitude towards the democratic government,” said senior PPP leader and Labour Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah.
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He said the ruling coalition will hold joint discussions if any condition is laid down by the President for providing him “safe passage”.
The comments came amid reports about “back channel” negotiations by PPP with Musharraf to force him to resign in return for a “safe passage” before the impeachment motion next week.
However, several preconditions put forth by Musharraf with army's backing including his demand that he be allowed to stay in the country were dragging the behind the scene negotiations and delaying the announcement of his resignation, sources told the Pakistani newspaper Daily Times.
Shah refuted suggestions that the coalition is engaged in secret talks with Musharraf to seek his resignation. “Since the provinces, which were part of the electoral college for his election, have given a verdict against him, the President should resign in the larger interest of the country,” he told reporters.
In a sign of brewing differences, the PML-N leaders did not attend the meeting of the coalition committee drafting the chargesheet citing the busy schedule of its members, a day after its ministers boycotted a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Gilani to discuss the impeachment.
Opposing any leniency towards Musharraf, Sharif said “We became independent only to be imprisoned by military dictatorship and Pakistan was ruled by military dictators for 33 years ... We wanted the country to be ruled by its crores of people but instead it was ruled by a few generals.”
“Today, after a long time we have achieved freedom again and this impeachment is not of Pervez Musharraf, it is an impeachment of the dictatorship that destroyed 61 years in Pakistan's life,” he said.