At last Gen. Perviz Musharaf gives up army uniform and becomes the civilian President of Pakistan and hands over the command of military in a ceremony in Rawalpindi.
Gen Musharraf passed a ceremonial baton to Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiani at the army's headquarters.

In his farewell address, Gen Musharraf said the army was his "life" and he was proud to have been the commander of this "great force".

He had been under huge pressure to quit as army chief and is due to be sworn in as civilian president on Thursday.
'Half a century'
Dressed in full military uniform, Gen Musharraf arrived at the ceremony with a baton under his left arm.
On his arrival, he was greeted by Gen Kiani and inspected a guard of honour.

A military band played Pakistan's national anthem and the ceremony began with a recitation from the Koran.

The colourful ceremony was shown live on PTV, Pakistan's national channel.

"I am bidding farewell to the army after having been in uniform for 46 years," Gen Musharraf said in his address. He became army chief in October 1998
This army is my life, my passion. I love this army, and this relationship will continue, although I will not be in uniform," he said.

Gen Musharraf said it was difficult to describe his emotions.

"When one has lived half a century with a family, a family like the army, united, and fully loyal... then leaving it is bound to bring on emotions. But such is the system of life. People come, and they have to go. Good things also come to an end. Everything is mortal," he said.

"I am fortunate to have commanded the best army in the world. This army is an integrating force, the saviour of Pakistan," Gen Musharraf said.

"Without this army, the entity of Pakistan cannot exist."

'Excellent soldier'

Gen Musharraf expressed full faith in the ability of his successor, Gen Kiani, to lead the force.

"He's an excellent soldier and I can say with full confidence that under his command, the armed forces will achieve great heights," Gen Musharraf said.

He had designated Gen Kiani, a former head of the intelligence services, as his successor in October.

The most serious pressure on the president to give up his uniform had come from the United States, his main international backer.

Washington has grown concerned in recent months at the army's inability to rein in pro-Taleban militants and by Gen Musharraf's growing unpopularity.

As a civilian leader, President Musharraf will still have considerable powers, including the ability to sack a civilian government.

He imposed emergency rule on 3 November in order, he said, to control an unruly judiciary and deal with the growing threat from Islamist militants.

General elections are to be held on 8 January, but President Musharraf has yet to say when the emergency will be lifted.

Musharraf sworn in for new 5-year term

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pervez Musharraf embarked on a new, five-year term as a civilian president Thursday, a day after ceding the powerful post of army chief — the basis of his rule for the past eight years.
In his inaugural address, Musharraf welcomed the return from exile of his old foes, former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, saying it was "good" for political reconciliation.

However, neither was present at the ceremony in the state palace in Islamabad, and it remained unclear whether the changeover would defuse the threat of a boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections. Such a move would undercut Musharraf's effort to legitimize his rule through a democratic ballot.

"This is a milestone in the transition of Pakistan to the complete essence of democracy," Musharraf told an audience of government officials, foreign diplomats and military generals. "Elections will be held in January come whatever may."

On Wednesday, a tearful Musharraf ended a four-decade military career as part of his long-delayed pledge not to hold both jobs.

The United States, keen to promote democracy while keeping Pakistan focused on fighting Islamic extremism, praised Musharraf's relaxation of his grip on power as a "good step" forward.

But it gave him no slack on the other key demand that he end a state of emergency that has enraged political rivals, strained his close ties with the West and cast doubt on the ability of opposition parties to campaign for the parliamentary elections.

"We welcome Musharraf's decision to shed the uniform," Bhutto said Wednesday. "Now the Pakistani army has got a full-fledged chief and they can better perform their duties."

But she said her party would "not take any decision in haste" on whether it could accept Musharraf as head of state.

Sharif again rejected Musharraf's presidency, saying his presidential oath would have "no legitimacy."

Musharraf first promised to quit the army at the end of 2004 but broke his word, saying the country needed his strong leadership. He told The Associated Press in an interview this month that his presence was vital to ensure stability.

Outgoing lawmakers re-elected Musharraf to the new five-year term in October. But the Supreme Court held up his confirmation following complaints that a military officer could not run for elected office under the constitution.

Musharraf reacted by proclaiming a state of emergency on Nov. 3, sacking the chief justice and other independent judges and replacing them with his appointees. The reconstituted top court then duly approved his election.

Officials have indicated emergency rule might be lifted soon, but have not set a firm date.

President Bush said he appreciated that Musharraf kept his word by relinquishing his military post, calling it "strong first step" toward enhancing democracy in Pakistan.

"It is something that a lot of people doubted would ever happen," Bush said in an interview with CNN's The Situation Room.

But Bush added that "in order to get Pakistan back on the road to democracy, he's got to suspend the emergency law before elections."

After more than 40 years in the army, Musharraf now will have to jostle for power with Bhutto and Sharif. Both have registered as candidates in the elections, and say they will boycott the ballot only if the entire opposition agrees to — something considered highly unlikely.

Sharif, who returned from exile on Sunday, has taken a particularly hard line against Musharraf, who ousted him in the 1999 coup.

A conservative comfortable with Islamic parties, Sharif has been reaching out to the many voters who oppose Pakistan's front-line role against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, styling Musharraf as an American stooge.

Emergency rule has also strained Musharraf's relations with Bhutto, who shares his secularist, pro-Western views and has left the door ajar for cooperation.

Musharraf has relaxed some aspects of the crackdown. Thousands of opponents have been released and all but one news channel is back on the air. However, he has refused to reverse his purge of the judiciary, an act that pitted him against Pakistan's well-organized legal fraternity.

On Wednesday, about 400 lawyers staged a protest about 2 miles from army headquarters, shouting "We want freedom!" and "Hang Musharraf!"

"He should be thrown out," said Sardar Asmatullah, a lawyers association leader. "He has been a dictator for the last eight years and he has delivered nothing good for this country."


http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2...resident_N.htm

__________________
No signature...

Lest old acquaintance be forgot

Nov 29th 2007 | LAHORE
From The Economist print edition

General Musharraf goes back to Civvy Street. Other civilians are not happy
Reuters
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, Pakistan's beleaguered president, who prides himself on being a man of his word, had often promised to stand down as chief of the army. So on November 28th he inspected a guard of honour in Rawalpindi and passed the baton to General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. Dressed in full regalia and bursting with emotion, General Musharraf said: “This army is my life, my passion. I love this army, and this relationship will continue, although I will not be in uniform.” Aptly, the military band gave him a stirring send-off with “Auld Lang Syne”.

The next day plain “Mr” Musharraf was sworn in as a civilian president of the country by his new handpicked chief justice. His advisers say that President Musharraf will soon lift the state of emergency he imposed on November 3rd. That unconstitutional “deviation”, as it is called in Pakistan, enabled Mr Musharraf to sack 12 judges of the supreme court who seemed bent on overthrowing him. He replaced them with more pliant ones. They have now duly legitimised his presidency.

Even by Pakistani standards, it has been a tumultuous week. Mr Musharraf had long thundered that he would not allow Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister he ousted in a coup in 1999, to return to Pakistan from exile in Saudi Arabia and rejoin politics. Indeed, when Mr Sharif tried to come home in September, he was bundled into a waiting aircraft at Islamabad and shunted off to Jeddah. But another former prime minister in exile, Benazir Bhutto, was allowed back on October 18th, thanks to American pressure on General Musharraf to make an alliance with her liberal People's Party. Mr Musharraf flew to Riyadh on November 22nd in a bid to convince King Abdullah to hang on to Mr Sharif until after the general elections on January 8th. But, far from entertaining the plea, the monarch dispatched Mr Sharif to Pakistan in a royal aircraft on November 25th, just in time to file his nomination papers for the elections.

The opposition is seized with the difficulty of ensuring free and fair elections, or, failing that, of forging a united front to boycott the polls. Neither task is easy. Mr Musharraf has packed the election commission and caretaker administration with loyalists and rigged the rules.

The opposition, moreover, is divided. Miss Bhutto has gauged her popularity—huge crowds welcomed her on October 18th—and wants to contest an election. But she is using the threat of a boycott to press demands that the state of emergency be lifted, pro-Musharraf local governments suspended, and the election commission reformed. Maulana Fazal ur Rehman, the leader of the biggest religious party, wants much the same. He hopes to form governments in the North-West Frontier province and Baluchistan.

Only Mr Sharif favours a boycott. But he fears he would be sidelined if he goes it alone. So he is hedging his bets. He has filed his nomination papers but is also hoping for an all-parties conference to agree on a boycott. If, as seems likely, Mr Musharraf meets some opposition demands, the elections will go ahead.

But they may not provide stability to Mr Musharraf's position—let alone Pakistan's. The country is bitterly divided across religious, regional, ethnic and class lines. Coalition governments in Islamabad and in the provinces are inevitable. As in the past, Mr Musharraf's party will be inclined to make alliances with the religious parties. But that will be looked at askance in America, which frets that such expedient political alliances help explain why Mr Musharraf's prosecution of the war against Islamist terrorists is ineffectual.

However, if Mr Musharraf wants a deal with Miss Bhutto, he will have to share power with her, perhaps as prime minister, a prospect neither he nor his party relishes. If he spurns her, she will join hands with Mr Sharif and the mullahs to dethrone him. When Parliament meets in February, he will need a two-thirds majority to legitimise his “deviation” on November 3rd. Failing that, he would risk impeachment and have to turn for help to his new army chief, General Kayani. Pakistan would revert to rule by the “troika” of army chief, president and prime minister, an arrangement that has scarred politics since the restoration of democracy in 1988. One elected government after another has been sacked by the president (thrice) or the army chief (once, in 1999).

__________________
__________________________________
nahin nigah main manzil to justaju hi sahi
nahin wisaal mayassar to arzu hi sahi

A solid foundation but a challenging future

by Pervez Musharraf,
President of Pakistan;
Posted 50 AM GMT, Monday,
December 3, 2007

Over the past year, the conflict in Afghanistan and the emergence of a virulent campaign by foreign terrorists to destabilize Pakistan have created a national threat that has interrupted Pakistan's progress much as America experienced in 2001-02. Foreign terrorists have engaged our security forces and suicide bombers have struck at metropolises that are the pulse of our nation. These events have caused me to take unpopular and extraordinary actions to protect civil order.

Those actions have succeeded in minimizing violence and the vulnerability to attacks, with costs incurred to civil liberty and institutional balance. We are actively engaging civil society to ensure that it continues its critical role in building a consensus around a progressive agenda.

Through all this, my commitment to free elections has not wavered and we will have elections in January, 2008. Elections are a very short time away, particularly for a nation that is 160 million strong, rich in diverse political opinions. America has the luxury of national campaigns in which a vision for your future can be developed and explained by your candidates over years. In Pakistan, we have but weeks. That is why I have been dismayed that the media has reduced our national discourse to a conflict between institutions and individuals, instead of real issues affecting the well-being of the people.

I will judge Pakistan's elections a success if they meet two criteria. First, they must take place in a free and safe environment. We cannot allow terrorists to hijack this critical democratic institution through violence. Nor can we allow self-serving politicians to disrupt the consensus required to continue the fight against terror. Second, we must move beyond personalities to debate a vision for Pakistan: a vision that builds upon our achievements, leveraging Pakistan's intrinsic strengths, and taking the people of Pakistan beyond a narrow-minded focus to an integrated perspective reflecting development, justice, and prosperity. At this critical juncture, Pakistan needs the continuity of successful policies -- not a myopic hustle for individual power.

We are confident in our ability to provide security. But as America knows well, a secure future requires more than physical security. Our literacy rate of 54% must be raised. One hundred million Pakistanis (63% of the population) are under 25 years of age, and many are intimidated by a vocal minority of extremists. We need to continue developing the economic opportunity that will give these young people the hope and encouragement to persuade them not to fall prey to extremist rhetoric, but rather to work productively toward a future that will benefit them and Pakistan as a whole. Even beyond the national borders, my concept of "Enlightened Moderation" needs to be used as a bridge between the Western World and the alienated Islamic world.

In a November, 2007 speech before the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, U.S. Senator Joseph Biden, among the most experienced foreign policy experts in Washington, called for "A New Approach to Pakistan." Senator Biden got many things right. He lauded Pakistan's tradition of democracy. He recognized our "large moderate majority." He recognized that a secure Pakistan is a Pakistan in which free institutions are made self-perpetuating by strong economic progress. He recognized that the building of schools, hospitals and infrastructure would support advancement of the Pakistani people and bring them out of the poverty trap of the past.

Indeed, over the past eight years, we have built a solid foundation for an economically vibrant Pakistan. We have maintained one of Asia's highest GDP growth rates at 7.5%, increased our per-capita income by 38%, and achieved a record high foreign investment of $8.4 billion, up from a mere $ 322 million in 2000. Other financial indicators support this trend: Pakistan's total foreign exchange reserves have increased ninefold to reach $15.7 billion, the stock exchange index has increased more than tenfold, the exchange rate has remained stable, 1.5 million Pakistanis have come above the poverty line, and the public debt has halved.

Taking advantage of our geo-strategic position, we have improved the infrastructure environment by investing in public sector development funds and promoting public-private partnerships towards infrastructure mega-projects. We have created a strong system of local governance where elected representatives manage their local districts with the help of civil administration, thereby significantly empowering the masses at the grassroots level. We have deregulated the media to where it is the freest in the history of Pakistan, where it is expected to exercise its freedom with responsibility. I have always believed in the freedom of expression and have respected difference of opinion, and I will continue to do so in the future. We have sought to create a government balanced between the executive, legislative and judiciary branches, coupled with a vibrant, peaceful and productive civil society.

Senator Biden was correct when in his New Hampshire speech he said the world must take a new approach to Pakistan, helping our people by solving problems. He made a mistake, however, when he referenced a "Musharraf policy" separate from a "Pakistan policy". I have never had a policy separate from a "Pakistan policy". My policies have reflected the aspirations of the progressive, moderate forces in Pakistan that have been aimed at containing the growing extremist forces fueled by regional unrest. Pakistan's physical security and that of the world necessitates that religious extremists are sidelined; that Pakistan's natural resources and nuclear assets are protected; and that military morale remains high.

It is my commitment to ensure continued implementation of a policy that will take the people of Pakistan safely through this critical junction towards a future free from the present conflict. The vision I will present for a 'new Pakistan' in the coming days, as Pakistan's civilian democratically-elected President, rests on this decisive premise.

http://www.secure-x-001.net/SecureGe...e=109&Portal=1

__________________
No signature...

Musharraf to lift emergency rule
Sat Dec 15, 2007 1:25am EST

By Alistair Scrutton

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will lift emergency rule on Saturday in a move Western nations hope will stabilize the nuclear-armed state amid militant violence.

Musharraf will address the nation on TV and radio on Saturday night, but critics say curbs on the media and judiciary will remain before the general election on January 8.

The government says constitutional rights will be restored but the opposition says Musharraf can still manipulate an election win for his allies and secure a power base despite growing unpopularity and unrest.

Citing spiraling militant violence, Musharraf imposed the emergency on November 3, suspended the constitution and purged the Supreme Court to fend off challenges to his re-election, which new hand-picked judges have since rubber-stamped.

Two soldiers and three civilians were killed near a Pakistani army camp by a suicide bomber on a bicycle on Saturday, underscoring a growing number of insurgent attacks this year in which hundreds of people have been killed.

Facing international condemnation, including from his ally the United States, Musharraf said he would restore the constitution.

But some lawyers and judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who were deposed by Musharraf are still under house arrest. The Pakistani media criticized this week a ban on live broadcasts as an attempt to control election coverage.

The end of the emergency may not change that.

"I know I won't be released, the lifting of the state of emergency will not change anything," said Tariq Mehmood, a leading opposition lawyer under house arrest.

"The army and Musharraf will still be in total control."

Election monitors and many politicians fear Musharraf, despite calls for a fair vote, can rig the polls through a network of district chiefs, bogus votes and by excluding opposition supporters from ballot stations.

STILL PULLING THE STRINGS?

Critics point out that Musharraf, who came to power in a 1999 coup but stepped down as army chief last month, still lives in his army house.

The election is essentially a three-way battle between parties loyal to Musharraf and the parties of two main opposition leaders, former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.

An opposition-run parliament could move to impeach the general over accusations he acted unconstitutionally in securing a new term as president.

With political rallies banned, parties have been holding what they call smaller "meetings" to get round the regulations. The opposition hopes that bigger rallies would be allowed as the campaign gets into gear after the weekend.

Critics are worried of possible amendments to give Musharraf protection from attempts in courts to prosecute him for breaking the constitution -- a move that has been carried out before by rulers in Pakistan's long history of military interference.

"When the emergency is lifted, the devil may be in the details," said Nasim Zehra, a political analyst.

(Additional reporting by Zeeshan Haider; editing by Robert Birsel and Grant McCool)

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Musharraf made a mockery of Pakistan: Sharif

Mon Dec 24, 2007 6:22am EST

By Faisal Aziz

SUKKUR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made the country an international laughing stock by purging the judiciary after he imposed emergency rule in November, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday.

Sharif, who returned from seven years in exile last month, took his campaign for January 8 elections to the southern province of Sindh, the heartland of another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, where he acknowledged he had little support.

Sharif, ousted by Musharraf in 1999, has been campaigning for the parliamentary elections despite a ban on running because of past criminal convictions he says were politically motivated.

"Musharraf has made us a mockery by sacking the judiciary," Sharif told a crowd of about 3,000 at a rally in the main market area of the town of Sukkur on the Indus river.

"We are a laughing stock all over the world, even in India. We have to liberate our country of dictators," he said.

Musharraf, citing a meddling judiciary and rising militancy, imposed emergency rule on November 3. He purged the judiciary of judges seen as hostile to his October re-election by legislators while still army chief.

Emergency rule was lifted on December 15 after Musharraf stepped down as army chief and was sworn in as a civilian president. But he has refused to reinstate the judges.

Sharif had proposed boycotting the election unless the judges were reinstated but decided his party would take part after Bhutto refused to join a boycott. Bhutto says a new parliament can decide on the judges' fate.

Pakistan's allies hope the election will bring stability to the nuclear-armed country after months of turmoil and growing militant violence.

Pakistan's main stock index ended at an all-time closing high as investors took fresh positions amid growing confidence about politics, dealers said.

"HEROES"

Sharif would seem an unlikely champion of the judiciary.

He had a major dispute with the Supreme Court during his second term as prime minister in the 1990s, which led to the removal of the then chief justice.

But he has made a demand for the restoration of the judges, some of whom remain under house arrest, a main theme of his party's campaign.

"These judges are our heroes," he said. "It is our commitment that we will restore these judges at any cost."

The vote for provincial parliaments and a National Assembly from which a prime minister and a government will be drawn is a three-way race between Sharif, Bhutto and the party that ruled under Musharraf and backs him.

Analysts expect a hung parliament which would likely mean two of the three main parties having to forge an alliance.

In Sukkur, flags and posters of Bhutto's party bedecked walls around the market where Sharif spoke. Some traders didn't even bother closing their shops.

"Why should I close my shop and go to his rally? He's not my leader, I didn't invite him," said Muhammad Abid whose shop is a couple of hundred yards away from the stage where Sharif spoke.

"I can't vote for someone who ran away instead of facing the courts," he said, referring to Sharif's exile to Saudi Arabia in 2000, a year after he was ousted.

He was allowed to leave and escape a prison term in exchange, the government says, for a promise to stay out of politics.

Sharif's strongholds are in urban areas of Punjab, Pakistan's richest and most populous province which returns nearly half of National Assembly members.

He did not appear hopeful of winning seats in Sindh.

"We've never won a National Assembly seat from Sukkur but I still love the people of Sukkur and Sindh ... they've always supported the democratic forces," he told the crowd.

(Editing by Robert Birsel and Roger Crabb)



http://www.reuters.com/article/world...27309720071224


© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Reuters journalists are subject to the Reuters Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Musharraf says he will quit if opposition tries to impeach him: US warned against intervention

SINGAPORE, Jan 11: President Pervez Musharraf has warned that the US troops will be regarded as invaders if they cross into Pakistan to hunt Al Qaeda militants and has said he will resign if opposition parties try to impeach him after next month’s elections, according to an interview.

President Musharraf told the Straits Times that the US or coalition troops would not be welcome unless invited for a particular reason, such as hunting Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

“Nobody will come here until we ask them to come. And we haven’t asked them,” he said in the interview which was published on Friday.

Asked if an unilateral intervention would be seen as an invasion, Mr Musharraf replied: “Certainly. If they come without our permission, that’s against the sovereignty of Pakistan.

“But when you’re talking about Osama bin Laden, any action against him will be free, if we know where he is, if we have good intelligence.

“The methodology will be discussed together and we’ll attack the target together.”

Pakistan’s military this month rejected a New York Times report that Washington is considering granting the Pentagon and the CIA new authority to conduct covert operations in the tribal areas, where Al Qaeda is showing new strength.

Pakistan is struggling to put down violence in the tribal zone despite sending 90,000 troops there to hunt militants, which some experts believe include bin Laden.

But President Musharraf said the US army would not do a better job. “The United States seems to think that what our army cannot do, they can do, this is a very wrong perception,” he said.

“I challenge anybody to come into our mountains. They would regret that day. It’s not easy there.”

Hundreds of Al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents took shelter in the rugged northwestern region after US-led forces overthrew the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

RESIGNATION: Musharraf said he would resign if the opposition parties tried to impeach him after next month’s elections.

Musharraf’s remarks came as police tried to identify a suicide bomber who blew himself up in Lahore on Thursday, killing 24 people and adding to pressure on the former general as he struggles to stay in office eight years after seizing power in military coup.

Musharraf is also under gathering domestic political pressure.

The party of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and the other main opposition grouping are predicted to make gains in the Feb 18 polls. They have vowed to oust Musharraf if they emerge as winners. Musharraf is seen as vulnerable to impeachment over his decision to fire Supreme Court judges and suspend the Constitution last year.

“If that (impeachment) happens, let me assure that I’d be leaving office before they would do anything. If they won with this kind of majority and they formed a government that had the intention of doing this, I wouldn’t like to stick around,” he said. “I would like to quit the scene.”

Thursday’s blast targeting police officers outside the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore was the latest in a series of bloody attacks in the country.

At least 20 suicide bombers have struck in the past three months, killing 400 people, many of them from the security forces -- the most intense period of terror strikes here since Pakistan allied with the US in its war against Al Qaeda and other extremist groups in 2001.—Agencies



http://www.dawn.com/2008/01/12/top2.htm

__________________
ஜ иστнιπg ιš ιмթΘรรιвlε тσ α ωιℓℓιиg нєαят ஜ