This article, here at Reuters, details how Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, will resign his Presidency rather than have to deal with impeachment proceedings threatened by the new coalition government. Here's some of the details:
This isn't a huge surprise at all, but it still is unsettling to me. Musharraf really represents the last tie between the Pakistani military and the government and when he is gone, I doubt that the military will be real eager to take any orders from these new asshats in charge. And that will signal a chink in the Pakistani military that will spurn some attacks, perhaps even an offensive by the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda.
One could spell out a lot of beefs against Musharraf from a U.S. point of view but I, for one, remember that Musharraf survived multiple assassination attempts by al Qaeda over the years and that toughened him on the war on Terror. He certainly didn't cooperate much inside of Pakistan but when he was in charge, you didn't see the build up of Taliban and al Qaeda forces inside Pakistan like you see now and Musharraf did provide decent intel to the West.
So, while he leaving permanently does't cause one to tear up, it certainly opens the door to a whole barrel full of calamities with this new bunch of government officials in Pakistan.
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will resign rather than face impeachment by parliament, the Financial Times said on its website on Thursday, citing government officials and a member of his circle.
The paper quoted an unnamed senior Pakistani government member as saying that a deal had been brokered between Musharraf and members of the newly elected coalition government.
Musharraf had demanded he be allowed to retire to his farm in Islamabad and that there be no moves to prosecute him once out of office, the Financial Times said.
This isn't a huge surprise at all, but it still is unsettling to me. Musharraf really represents the last tie between the Pakistani military and the government and when he is gone, I doubt that the military will be real eager to take any orders from these new asshats in charge. And that will signal a chink in the Pakistani military that will spurn some attacks, perhaps even an offensive by the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda.
One could spell out a lot of beefs against Musharraf from a U.S. point of view but I, for one, remember that Musharraf survived multiple assassination attempts by al Qaeda over the years and that toughened him on the war on Terror. He certainly didn't cooperate much inside of Pakistan but when he was in charge, you didn't see the build up of Taliban and al Qaeda forces inside Pakistan like you see now and Musharraf did provide decent intel to the West.
So, while he leaving permanently does't cause one to tear up, it certainly opens the door to a whole barrel full of calamities with this new bunch of government officials in Pakistan.
Pakistan's Musharraf to resign as president: report
LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will resign rather than face impeachment by parliament, the Financial Times said on its website on Thursday, citing government officials and a member of his circle.
The paper quoted an unnamed senior Pakistani government member as saying that a deal had been brokered between Musharraf and members of the newly elected coalition government.
"The president will neither be impeached nor prosecuted on any charges. He will try and stay in Pakistan," the paper quoted the official as saying.
Musharraf had demanded he be allowed to retire to his farm in Islamabad and that there be no moves to prosecute him once out of office, the Financial Times said.
It quoted a senior government official as saying Pakistan's powerful army had insisted Musharraf's demands be met.
Musharraf, a close U.S. ally, has been under pressure to stand aside from Pakistan's ruling government coalition, led by the party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The former army chief, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has been isolated since his allies lost a February election.
His plummeting political fortunes have heightened concerns in the United States and among its allies about the stability of Pakistan, a nuclear-armed Muslim state that is also a hiding place for al Qaeda leaders.
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