ISLAMABAD, 21 November 2002 — Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, who took charge of the country in a 1999 coup, will hand power to a civilian prime minister "in the next one or two days", he said in a televised address to the nation yesterday.
"Within the next one or two days I will be fulfilling my promise and will hand over the responsibilities of government to the new prime minister," he said.
The transferal of power from Musharraf to a civilian prime minister, who is set to be elected from the National Assembly today at 10:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), would be the final step in the president’s "road map to democracy" which he foreshadowed in August 2001. The country’s transition back to democracy began with general elections on Oct. 10 to the 342-seat National Assembly, which resulted in a hung Parliament.
The elections were followed by last Friday’s reactivation of the constitution — including controversial amendments written by Musharraf — and the inauguration of the National Assembly on Saturday.
The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s candidate Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali is widely expected to win the prime minister’s position and head the future civilian government, keeping control of Parliament within Musharraf’s grasp.
"Inshallah (God willing), we will get the majority," Jamali told reporters earlier in the day after filing his nomination for the post. The key slots of speaker and deputy speaker in the assembly have already gone to Musharraf loyalists.
The general, who took an oath on Saturday to be president for the next five years, said during his national address, that he would continue to play a role in the country’s progress.
"Our government has shown the right path and corrected the direction of the country. The ship of the nation has been steered clear from the stormy seas and is well set on its destination," he said. "Now it’s the duty of the elected government to get the country its due place... The due role that I have I shall always continue to play for the protection and progress of Pakistan."
In an hourlong speech Musharraf reviewed the achievements of his rule, arguing he had saved the country from bankruptcy and challenging the new government to build on his legacy.
"The new government should pick up the reins of power with full resolve — the ray of hope which we have shown should be spread across the length and breadth of the country," he said.
European Union election observers criticized October’s election as "seriously flawed" and accused Musharraf’s government of manipulating the vote in favor of its allies. They also slammed constitutional amendments granting Musharraf extensive powers and institutionalizing the role of the army.
However, Musharraf has won praise in the West for supporting the US-led war on terror and trying to curb militancy at home. But those policies have stirred anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, and led to a strong showing by hard-line parties in the elections. (The Independent)
