ISLAMABAD: A combative President Pervez Musharraf yesterday rebuffed offers of a safe passage out of the country if he resigned as Parliament convened to consider his fate.
The last man who met Musharraf to ask him for a graceful exit was Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer. Musharraf bluntly told him: “No, I will not resign.”
Taseer was the latest of a string of emissaries sent to the president by Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari to persuade him into resigning the post.
The federal coalition government announced Thursday that it would impeach Musharraf for plunging Pakistan into a political and economic mess during his nearly nine-year rule.
There has been speculation in the media that the former commando would step down to avoid impeachment but his spokesman, retired Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, angrily dismissed that. “There’s no such thing. You’d better ask those who say he’s going to resign,” Qureshi said.
The Punjab Assembly yesterday declared Musharraf unfit for office and demanded he step down. The resolution passed by 321 votes to 25 by the assembly has no constitutional weight, but is intended to crank up pressure on the president to resign.
Lawmakers chanted “Go Musharraf, go!” for several minutes as the result was announced in Lahore.
The resolution accused him of violating the constitution, gross misconduct and economic mismanagement.
It called on the president to seek a vote of confidence from federal and provincial lawmakers or resign. Otherwise the assembly would ask Parliament to impeach him.
The other three provincial assemblies are expected to pass similar resolutions in the coming days after which an impeachment motion would be brought up in the federal Parliament.
Analysts said it could take several weeks before the motion is voted upon in a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament.
— With input from agencies
