BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's ruling
coalition last week announced initiatives to start the impeachment proceedings
against President Pervez Musharraf and the embattled leader said he would face
impeachment with a "democratic spirit."
However, the way to outer Musharraf, who took the helm of Pakistan nine years ago, would be quite rugged for the foes of the former military chief.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addresses an Independence Day ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
Analysts have warned of protracted and debilitating
political fight that could take months of haggling to secure the parliamentary
votes required for impeachment.
Musharraf also have to fight hard in order to retain
his office as his influence in the country has been eroding away from last year
and his stout supporter, the United States, also made it clear the impeachment
was Pakistan's internal affairs.
The battle to force Musharraf out of office would
also divert attention which should be given to bigger and more pressing problems
facing the country, such as shortage of daily necessities, tight power supply
and rising inflation, analysts said.
COMPLICATED IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURE
First of all, the ruling coalition would have to work
out a list of charges against Musharraf to impeach him.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman and spokesperson
for the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), told reporters that the lawmakers
are preparing such a list that would be a "strong, voluminous and powerful
indictment of his systematic misrule and usurpation of parliament's powers."
The document will charge Musharraf with corruption,
economic mismanagement and violating the constitution, among other malfeasance,
she said.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gilani speaks during a flag raising ceremony to mark Pakistan's 62nd
Independence Day in Islamabad Aug. 14, 2008. Gilani, a senior leader of
Bhutto's party, said in his Independence Day address his government
believed in reconciliation between political parties. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
Such a document would involve a lot of evidence
collection, which could be a long and painful process for the former general's
rivals.
Once the charges are submitted, the National Assembly
-- the lower house of parliament -- must decide on whether to go forward with
impeachment before the actual vote could proceed.
According to the constitution, a majority vote would
be required for the charges to be even considered.
Chairman of PPP parliamentarians Makhdoom Amin Fahim
warned against the "hasty" decision to impeach the president, saying it was like
other decisions the coalition made in the past.
The Dawn News TV channel quoted Amin Fahim as saying
that the time was not right for the impeachment of the president and he was
afraid that politicians were playing with fire.
Clashes between the pillars of state can damage the
democracy, Amin Fahim said, adding that the foremost task behind the coalition
was to improve the country's economy and people's livelihood.
ARDUOUS TASK FOR MUSHARRAF TO
SURVIVE
Pakistan's Sindh provincial assembly Wednesday passed
a resolution asking Musharraf to take a vote of confidence or resign. Two other
provincial assemblies in the Punjab and North West Frontier Province had already
passed similar resolutions.
Although the resolutions are non-binding, they signal
a faster drumbeat by Pakistani lawmakers to pressure Musharraf to leave
office.
It is possible that Musharraf may try to dissolve
parliament or that he would look to the army for protection. However, many
analysts said the military was unlikely to intervene.
Meanwhile, Musharraf's most staunch ally, the United
States, had made it clear the bid by Pakistan's ruling coalition to impeach
Musharraf was "Pakistan's internal affair."
"We have consistently said the internal politics of
Pakistan is an issue for the Pakistani people to decide," the U.S. State
Department spokesman Gonzago Gallegos told reporters.
"Our expectation is that any action will be
consistent with the rule of law and the Pakistani constitution," Gallegos
said.
In this context, Musharraf appealed for
reconciliation Thursday so as to tackle economic problems in the country.
"If we want to put our economy on the right track and
fight terrorism then we need political stability. Unless we bring about
political stability, I think we can't fight them properly," Musharraf said in a
televised Independence Day address.
"Political stability, in my view, can only be brought
about through a reconciliation approach as opposed to confrontation," he said.
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's ruling
coalition has decided to frame charges against President Pervez Musharraf on the
basis of "violation of the Constitution and gross misconduct", a ruling party
spokesman said on Thursday.
All the coalition partners agree that the charge
sheet for Musharraf's impeachment should be based on these two main points,
Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for Pakistan People's Party (PPP), told reporters.
Full story
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani Thursday urged unity of
the country to face the challenges ahead.
In a message delivered to the nation on the
Independence Day by the official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Musharraf
has stressed the need for tolerance and forbearance for the successful lworking
of democracy and urged the nation to strive together for making the country a
truly modern, dynamic, progressive and democratic Islamic state. Full story
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Sindh provincial
assembly Wednesday passed a resolution against President Pervez Musharraf, local
TV channel DAWN NEWS reported.
The resolution asked Musharraf to take a vote of
confidence or resign, said the report. Full story
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 11
(Xinhua) -- The provincial assembly in eastern Pakistan's Punjab province on
Monday passed a resolution to ask President Pervez Musharraf to take a vote of
confidence.
The provincial assembly voted 321 in favor and 25 against
on a resolution demanding Musharraf seek confidence vote, a move ahead of formal
impeachment, private Geo TV channel reported. Full story
