PERVEZ MUSHARRAF THE CIVILIAN PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN RAWALPINDI NEWS HEADLINES STORY: - An emotional Pervez Musharraf stepped down as army chief yesterday and will be sworn in as a civilian leader for a second five-year term today. In doing so he has fulfilled one of the long-held demands of his political rivals and Western allies, taking off the uniform he has referred to as his “second skin” and becoming a civilian president ahead of national elections in January. In a
moment many Pakistanis thought they would never see, Musharraf passed the baton of command to his hand-picked successor, General Ashfaq Kayani, at a farewell parade ceremony at army headquarters here. His resignation from the military was welcomed by the United States, Britain and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, but all said further steps were needed, including the end of emergency rule. The 64-year-old former commando dabbed at his eyes behind his glasses at one point and lifted a handkerchief to his nose after his speech. Buglers announced Musharraf’s arrival at a stadium at army headquarters in Rawalpindi and then, to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne,” an honour guard escorted him and former spy chief Kiyani to their position on a dais. “The system continues, people come and go, everyone has to go, every good thing comes to an end, everything is mortal,” a sombre-looking Musharraf said. Addressing hundreds of invited guests and dignitaries, Musharraf, wearing a green sash over his light khaki ceremonial dress and medals, praised the army as Pakistan’s “binding force”. “After remaining in uniform for 46 years I am saying goodbye to this army. This army is my life, this army is my passion. I have loved this army.” Musharraf hailed the armed forces as the “saviour of Pakistan”. He also voiced full confidence in Kiyani. But without the army, the main source of his power, Musharraf faces a torrid time ahead of elections set for January 8, with growing calls for him to end emergency rule. Ordinary Pakistanis welcomed Musharraf’s departure from the army and some said it was time he left politics too. “I think his role in Pakistani politics is ending now, and it’s only a matter of time before he will be kicked out by the people, or by the army itself,” said Abdul Aziz Khan, a retired banker in Karachi. Musharraf has said that he expects Pakistan to be governed by a troika, made up of himself, Kayani and the new prime minister. The opposition parties of ex-prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif welcomed the resignation. “It is a pleasant moment in the history of Pakistan. Now our army will get a full-time general as its leader,” Bhutto said in Karachi. The opposition insists Musharraf’s October 6 re-election as president was illegal, claiming he imposed emergency rule to purge the Supreme Court of hostile judges who threatened to overturn his victory. In a sign that Musharraf may respond to the clamour, attorney general Malik Muhammad Qayyum said the emergency would be lifted “very soon”, without specifying a date. Musharraf’s spokesman Rashid Qureshi said he would address the nation today after he takes the oath as president, but gave no more details.
