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| Musharraf to quit army if re-elected: Lawyer | | | Islamabad | Sep 18
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will give up his post of army chief if he is re-elected President and he will be sworn in for a new term as a civilian, his lawyer told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The promise to stand down as army chief removes a major objection to Musharraf's proposed re-election by October 15.
US ally Musharraf retained his army post after he seized power in a 1999 coup despite opposition calls to quit.
"If elected for a second term as President, General Pervez Musharraf shall relinquish charge of office of chief of army staff soon after election and before taking oath of office as president," Musharraf's chief lawyer, Sharifuddin Pirzada, told the Supreme Court during a hearing into challenges against Musharraf's rule.
The date of a presidential election is expected to be announced this week. A national election is due by mid-January.
Giving up the army role would undoubtedly dilute Musharraf's power in a country that has been ruled by generals for more than half the 60 years since it was founded.
But it could also help him cement a power-sharing agreement with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto that could enable him to overcome growing opposition to his continued rule.
Bhutto has said that any arrangement with Musharraf would depend, among other things, on him becoming a civilian President.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary-general of Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), told Reuters on Monday Musharraf would abide by the constitution and quit the army before the end of 2007.
He was expected to take his oath of office as a civilian president before November 15, when his current term expires, Sayed said.
The United States is keenly watching the fate of Musharraf, as instability in a nuclear-armed state where al Qaeda militants are based and from where Taliban insurgents are fighting Western forces in Afghanistan could have far-reaching consequences.
Nuclear-armed neighbour India is also monitoring events in Pakistan, with a peace process between the rivals yet to yield substantial results after more than 3 ½ years.
Court Challenges
Musharraf's popularity has slumped since he tried to sack the Supreme Court's top judge in March, inadvertently whipping up a campaign by lawyers and the opposition against him.
According to a survey issued this week by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) 62 per cent of Pakistanis thought Musharraf should quit as army chief while 64 per cent opposed his re-election as president.
The survey, made three months ago, found that 78 percent of people believed exiled leaders such as former Prime ministers Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, should be allowed to take part in the next general election. Sharif was deported last week, hours after he tried to come back to lead a campaign against Musharraf.
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