Posted on 05/29/2008 4:07:43 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
ISLAMABAD: Beleaguered Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has "made up his mind to call it a day" and he may do so in the very near future, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
Although the president's official spokesman denied this, Musharraf "has no option left but to quit", the News said, quoting highly placed sources.
Musharraf "has made up his mind to call it a day and he can make an announcement in this regard any time. His closest aides are of the view that after losing all hope of survival in power, the president has made up his mind to lead a retired life", the newspaper added.
The president has already been asked by important officials not to think about any step that may further aggravate the already fragile political situation in the country, it said.
Musharraf has also consented to leave the Army House immediately "and he may move to the President House within 48 hours (by Friday evening) before calling it a day", the News said.
However, a spokesman for Musharraf rebutted the article. "Neither has there been any discussion of the president moving out of the President's Lodge, nor is there any plan for him to do so," said Rashid Qureshi.
Speculation about Musharraf's impending departure increased after Pakistan's army chief, General Kayani, held an "extremely important meeting" with the president at the Army House in Rawalpindi late Wednesday. "The meeting continued till after midnight lasting more than three-and-a-half hours," the News said in a report headlined "Gen Kayani looks Musharraf in the eye".
In what was their longest one-on-one encounter, the meeting "was significant in view of the current political and security situation in the country", the newspaper said.
It gained further importance as it took place after day-long consultations of the army chief with his commanders.
Rumours of Musharraf's ‘resignation' were one of the reasons for falls of more than 4% on the Karachi stock market on Thursday.
Who would fill the void?
Osama.
Nobody will fill his shoes, but somebody will occupy the office.
That’s IF he is not doing the dirt nap!
Hm.
Grain of salt, but have a pong anyway.
Pakistani Pong Ping.
Maybe Obama’s got some cousins that aren’t currently occupied?
Will we have to evacuate him.
Holy Shi’ite. Not good. Power vaccuum left...Osama to fill it? Paki nukes for AQ? I really hope this report is false.
Pakistan's Musharraf rejects resignation rumours: state media
Thu May 29, 3:51 PM ET
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Thursday dismissed speculation that he was going to resign, blasting "rumour-mongers" for spreading stories that he has lost the army's support, state media said.
The US-backed leader said reports that he had met with the country's army chief to discuss quitting were "part of a malicious campaign to create unrest in the country," the official Associated Press of Pakistan said. Musharraf's comments were his first statement on the mounting speculation about his fate, which has sent Pakistan's stock market plummeting in recent days.
Musharraf said the "trend must not continue as it was damaging for the country's economy and a threat to foreign investment," the state news agency reported.
The army earlier dismissed a report in The News, an English-language daily, that Musharraf and Kayani had discussed his resignation in a meeting on Wednesday night.
The military also played down the revelation that a Musharraf loyalist has been replaced as head of an elite army unit, which has been deployed during previous military coups.
If true, that’s better news....
All I can say is that it is currently the official line.
Thanks for the ping.
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