Pakistan's Musharraf may quit army for votes: paper

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Pakistan's Musharraf may quit army for votes: paper
Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:54AM EDT

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's embattled President
Pervez Musharraf may quit as army chief in return for
support from political parties to re-elect him for another
term, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The offer is being discussed by Musharraf's aides with self-
exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in London as part
of a power-sharing pact, the Dawn newspaper said.

Musharraf, who has seen his popularity plummet in recent
months, wants to get re-elected president for another five
years between mid-September and mid-October, before his
term as army chief expires at the end of the year.

Under his plan, a general election will then be held at the
end of the year or early next year.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSISL19928620070828

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Source: DAWN

August 28, 2007 Tuesday Sha’aban 14, 1428

Musharraf may trade army post for re-election

By M. Ziauddin


LONDON, Aug 27: President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s team of
emissaries, led by ISI chief Lt Gen Ashfaq Kiani, and PPP
Chairperson Benazir Bhutto are understood to have discussed,
at a ‘final meeting’ here on Monday, the possibilities of
convening an all-party conference for achieving a ‘grand
national reconciliation’.

According to sources, President Musharraf has offered to doff
the uniform even before the presidential elections. But in the
trade-off, he wants all political parties to agree to elect him
president for the next five years after the new assemblies come
into being following the next general election.

He, however, is said to want the powers of the office of the
president to remain untouched _ at least up to the end of his
new term.

According to the sources, the package of offers being discussed
at the meeting includes formation of a national government,
which would then appoint a chief election commissioner by
consensus.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/28/top1.htm

[cal04]

1. Musharraf to shed military role -exile

PAKISTANI President Pervez Musharraf had agreed to resign from his position as army chief in a power-sharing deal with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the exiled former leader said in an interview published today.

Speaking from London, where she lives, Ms Bhutto told The Daily Telegraph that while the deal was not yet complete, the "uniform issue is resolved".

"The uniform issue is key and there has been a lot of movement on it in the recent round of talks."

In a separate interview with the Financial Times also published today, fellow exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said that he planned to return to Pakistan within a fortnight to lead a campaign to oust General Musharraf.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22327130-1702,00.html