Pakistan Views

President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday advised an incoming coalition government, that may seek his resignation, to focus on fighting terrorism and sustaining economic growth rather than politics. The parties that defeated a pro-Musharraf alliance in an election last month have still to agree how to make up the new ruling coalition, and there is speculation they will try to drive out Musharraf. Musharraf said political peace was essential to keep the fight against terrorism on track and maintain growth in an economy pressured by rising crude oil and cooking oil prices. “These are very serious challenges,” Musharraf said at the launch of a new television station in the city of Multan in the Punjab province. “As soon as the governments are formed in the centre and in provinces, this is the cut off when there should be less politics and governance starts,” he said. “Put politics on a back-burner.”
Musharraf has said he will back the incoming government so long as it chooses political peace, but there is considerable expectation that Pakistan will face more political upheavals if its new leaders seek confrontation with the president.

Former premier Nawaz Sharif has accused President Pervez Musharraf of trying to “drive a wedge” between his PML-N and the PPP in a bid to thwart the formation of a coalition government by the two parties. Nawaz Sharif, who was deposed in a coup by Musharraf in 1999, said the PML-N and the PPP had come together after the February 18 general elections to form government despite not having a pre-poll alliance, Press Trust Of India (PTI) quoted Sharif as saying. The PML-N will support the PPP-led government to complete its full five-year term as the two parties shared common objectives like the restoration of the judiciary and ending the military’s role in politics, he said. “It is Musharraf, that has been ruling this country for the past eight years wearing a uniform, and I think he is trying to drive a wedge between the two of us (PML-N and PPP),” Sharif told interviewer Karan Thapar on the “Devil’s Advocate” programme.
“And he (Musharraf) is again trying his formula of divide and rule. We are not going to fall prey (to that),” he said. “We would rather like to see a full five-year term for the PPP. We will not destabilise the government at all,” Nawaz added.
The PPP, which emerged the largest party in the polls, is set to form government at the centre with the support of the PML-N and other smaller parties like the Awami National Party, he said.
Nawaz said the alliance between his party and the PPP was aimed at putting “the country back on the rails”. Asked if the two parties had sunk the differences, he said, “Yes, I suppose so.” He pointed out that he and slain PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto had signed a Charter of Democracy in 2006 that outlined their common objectives.
The former premier, who had once said he felt betrayed by Bhutto when she held talks on a power-sharing arrangement with Musharraf, said: “Despite these ups and downs, I think we have stuck to the charter.”
Nawaz Sharif repeated his call for Musharraf to quit, saying the President “is the real problem”. He said: “He has to step down because this is a very clear verdict from the people of Pakistan. It is a verdict from every nook and corner of the country. It says, ‘Musharraf, please step down’.”
Asked what would be the military’s role in the new dispensation, he said: “The military has its own job to do. I don’t want the military to come into politics. Let’s not talk about the military because I want the military to stay within their domain.”
If Musharraf did not step down, the new government would have to take steps to curb his powers. “(Musharraf) has…the powers to even sack the parliament, the cabinet and the prime minister. Don’t you think that these powers need to be taken away from him on the first day when we have the majority?” Sharif said.
“I think the restoration of the judiciary must take place on the first day. This is what I would do if I have the choice bu, of course, we have an alliance. We have already agreed upon the restoration of the judges, their reinstatement. But the modalities will have to be worked out in the parliament,” he added.
After the judges deposed during last year’s emergency are reinstated, they “will determine whether Musharraf is eligible to contest the elections of the president while wearing a uniform or not.”
The post-emergency Supreme Court comprising hand-picked judges had validated Musharraf’s re-election in uniform last year. “And once we get rid of this president who is still a dictator and who still holds all the powers, I think most of our problems will get resolved automatically,” said Nawaz.
He also said the PML-N was yet to decide on joining the PPP-led government. “We haven’t taken any decision on that as yet…If we join the government, our people will have to take oath from the President. And we don’t consider this President as a legitimate President,” he added.

Three major winning parties have agreed to use muscles of the parliament to restore the dissident judges, but two of them appeared to be shying away from a key question of removing President Pervez Musharraf. PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N head Nawaz Sharif and Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali on Wednesday met here along with top associates to boost co-operation for the formation of the future governments at the Centre and provinces. According to details emerging after the first tripartite contact, there was a consensus among the three that jurists, including Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, must be brought back to their jobs immediately when the new administration is put in place. But it remained unclear whether the troika had also discussed and arrived to some common ground on the issue of what should be the fate of President Musharraf.
The President suspended (now-restored) constitution and removed Supreme Court Chief Justice in November last year to avoid a possible decision against the legitimacy of his re-election as president a month before. “They have agreed on judges’ restoration,” Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chairman Zafarul Haq told media after more than two-hour talks. “Through the power of the parliament,” he replied when asked what would be the operational strategy of these parties for doing so, but declined to share specific details. Some top constitutional experts, like Fakhruddin Ibrahim, briefed Zardari, Nawaz and Asfandyar on how they could use their numerical strength in the parliament to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry and fellows. Earlier, at a show of strength gathering attended by 171 National Assembly members-elect, they also called on President Pervez Musharraf to immediately summon parliament so they can show they have the majority needed to choose the next Prime Minister.
Zardari and Asfandyar did not either directly call for Musharraf’s resignation, or threatened with impeachment. “We are united together to empower the parliament and finish the establishment once and for all,” Zardari said in a rather indirect and more rhetorical warning to Musharraf. Asfandyar also restricted himself from sending any strong message of confrontation to the President. The restoration of judiciary and upholding the rule of law must be the hallmark of struggle, he remarked. Nawaz, however, kept up his anti-Musharraf stance, perceivably a reason for which contenders from his party were voted to power by people mostly in the central Punjab and non-Pushtoon belt of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). “We must fight together; we must defeat dictatorship,” he added. He claimed that the three parties had already gained two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and they would have it in the Senate soon, a qualification they need to send Musharraf home, if a political will is there at all.
Polls’ outcome shows PPP, PML-N and ANP are close to grab two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to impeach Musharraf and bring back judges by amending the constitution.
But they do not hitherto have such a right in the Senate. Half of its members are to be elected in March next year through four provincial assemblies where their parties once again are in majority. So, academically, they need at least one more year to be able to oust Musharraf through a parliamentary reprimand. But, already faced by a hostile lawyers’ movement, he may not be in a position to survive another wave of unfriendly protests by politicians this time around.
AGENCIES ADD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won the most seats but not enough to form a government on its own. The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif, came second and the two parties are in talks, along with a smaller third group, on a coalition government that could force Musharraf from power. The coalition has been wooing several independent MPs in a bid to gain the two-thirds majority, even if it is just to increase the pressure on Musharraf, a bulwark in US efforts to tackle al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Asif Ali Zardari said the opposition should work together to end the supremacy of the military-led establishment. “I think the homage to my … wife would be that we unite together, we take democracy, we take power for parliament and once and for all, finish the establishment,” Zardari told the meeting. Nawaz assured Zardari that his party would extend full support to him, although he did not say his party would accept cabinet posts. Some senior officials in Nawaz’s party have said it might support the PPP, but not serve in the government. “We must see that we have a long-lasting democracy in this country and abandon the role of the army and the military in the politics of Pakistan forever,” Nawaz said. “This is what we should be striving for.” Nawaz said the opposition parties would end up with two-thirds of National Assembly seats and he called on Musharraf to call the session as soon as the Election Commission issues official results. It is expected to declare results by Saturday. “We are not prepared to wait for a single more day for the assembly to be convened,” he said. Talking to newsmen on Wednesday, Zafarul Haq said that during the newly elected MNAs meeting, Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Asfandyar Wali Khan agreed on the reinstatement of the sacked judges and the power of parliament would be utilised for it.
“During the meeting, all the leaders expressed identical views and agreed over the restoration of the judges who were illegally sacked” he added. He said the legal experts Fakharuddin G Ibrahim, Latif Khosa and Farooq Naik expressed their views about the restoration of judges in the meeting. The PML-N Chairman said, a committee was set up for legal advice and to prepare its report within week to suggest steps for the restoration of judges.” “There were differences in the meeting and all the leaders agreed over the reinstatement of judges” he noted.

President Pervez Musharraf said he has no plans to resign despite a sweeping election victory by opposition parties over his allies, in a US newspaper interview published on late Tuesday. Asked by the Wall Street Journal whether he would resign or retire, President Musharraf said: “No, not yet. We have to move forward in a way that we bring about a stable democratic government to Pakistan,” according to the interview published on the newspaper’s website. Musharraf faced mounting calls to quit on Tuesday as the opposition parties moved towards a coalition government. If he stays in office, he may have to work with Nawaz Sharif, leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League. Sharif was ousted as prime minister by General Musharraf in a coup in 1999. Musharraf stepped down as army chief last November. “The president has no mandate to share governing power with the prime minister,” Musharraf said, according to the Journal’s interview transcript.”The clash would be if the prime minister and president would be trying to get rid of each other. I only hope we would avoid these clashes,” he added.
“I would like to function with any party and any coalition because that is in the interest of Pakistan,” Musharraf told the newspaper, declining to say whether he was concerned his opponents would try to oust him. “We have to go for conciliatory politics and harmonious interaction within the government, between various parties and between the prime minister and the government,” he added. “I will strive towards that end.”

President General Pervez Musharraf has ruled out to yield any international pressure to stop further improving the nuclear capability.

He stated this here while addressing a gathering of Pakistani community. Pakistan is the only nuclear power among the Muslim countries, he remarked.

The atomic missile programme of Pakistan is mush better than the same programme of many countries, he said.

President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday won pledges of support from French President Nicolas Sarkozy who called for free, transparent and safe elections next month in the unstable nation.
Musharraf met with Sarkozy on the second leg of a European tour aimed at shoring up his battered image after months of turmoil and the martyrdom of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto last month.
“France will continue to provide its full support in the fight against terrorism, because France and the world have an interest in stability, unity and democracy-building in Pakistan,” said Elysee spokesman David Martinon.
“The only response to terrorism and terrorists is holding elections in the best possible conditions, with freedom, plurality, transparency and security,” added Sarkozy’s spokesman.
Musharraf earlier dismissed fears on Tuesday that his country could slip into al Qaeda’s hands, saying there was a “zero percent chance” of a takeover by extremists.
On the first leg of his European tour in Brussels, Musharraf won backing from Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who said the Pakistani leader was “part of the solution and certainly not part of the problem”.
But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana warned European future cooperation would depend on the conduct of the elections.
Musharraf travels later Tuesday to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum and is to meet Wednesday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
He wraps up his European tour in London on Saturday.

President Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan nuclear assets are completely safe under the most reliable control and command system, which is foolproof from every point of view.

Addressing a gathering of Pakistani community here he said, “Pakistan nuclear assets are in safe hands and even any nuclear attack cannot destroy our nuclear assets.”

Musharraf vowed that the election would be democratic, and said the goal of his trip was “correcting perspectives” in Europe.

“There will be free and transparent elections,” he pledged at the meeting in a Brussels hotel, lauding what he said were improvements in the economy and security under his rule.

Musharraf is in Brussels, capital city of Belgium where met members of the Pakistani community. His official programme starts today (Monday) as he is scheduled to visit Britain, France and Switzerland.

The eight-day visit to Brussels, Paris, London and Davos is a wholesome package, with focus on improving Pakistan’s image and removing certain misperceptions.

President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday left on a four-nation tour aimed at bolstering European support, as police were on high alert for the Muslim festival of Ashura.

As officials uncovered bomb and poison plots aimed at causing massive loss of life, and questioned a teenager allegedly linked to the martyrdom of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf flew out to clear up “misperceptions” about the country.

“We want to clear certain misperceptions of all the happenings in Pakistan and the region,” the official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Musharraf as telling reporters at Chaklala military base.

Pakistan has been in the throes of serious upheaval for months, capped by Benazir’s martyrdom in a gun and suicide bomb attack last month.

European countries have expressed concern over upcoming elections in Pakistan and a key ally in Washington’s “war on terror” which shares a long border with Afghanistan.

President Musharraf’s eight-day visit to Belgium, France, Switzerland and Britain comes as Pakistan commemorates this year’s Ashura amid widespread militancy and unrest.

Security was tight as ceremonies for Ashura, which marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson in the seventh century and is often hit by sectarian violence, took place across the country.

“Security is quite tight and we hope that, God willing, this day passes peacefully,” Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz told AFP.

On Saturday, officials said they had arrested extremists who planned to set off suicide bombs and poison water supplies with cyanide to kill Shias celebrating the festival.

A would-be suicide bomber was among five heavily armed militants, all belonging to extremist groups, seized in Karachi who also planned to use cyanide powder to poison water during the ceremonies.

They were planning to launch an attack on Sunday on the Ashura festival in the southern port city, provincial police chief Azhar Farooqi said.

“The aim was to cause widespread human losses,” Farooqi said of the plot, in which three others were detained in the nearby city of Hyderabad.

Taking notice of propaganda of US media against Pakistan Thursday, President General Pervez Musharraf has directed the concerned authorities to devise a strategy to counter the western propaganda.
The president issued theses directives during a meeting with Pakistan’s ambassador to US Mehmood Ali Durrani, who called on the president at Awan-e-Saddar.
Mehmood Ali Durrani briefed the president about the negative statements of US congress members and candidates contesting the US presidential election 2008.

President Pervez Musharraf said that the extremists cannot take control of Pakistan.

He said that the Al-Qaida is not so strong militarily to defeat Pakistan and it is not powerful politically. There is no possibility of its taking part and winning in the elections.

Talking with a German magazine, President Musharraf said that whenever he feels that the majority of the people is against him then he would not take a moment to step down from the position of the president.

The president said that he would never allow the US army to launch operation in the Pakistani land.

He said that if any need arises then Pakistan itself ask for help and only the local forces are doing operation in Pakistan.

Replying to a question, President Pervez Musharraf said that when the new government in America gets access to intelligence information then its stance would also be the same as it is of the present US government so how it would like to disintegrate Pakistan. It would not do anything against its national interest.

Regarding stability in Afghanistan, he said that the Afghanistan should immediately change its strategy and take political steps to win the hearts of Pashtoons.