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Musharraf links quitting to failsafe indemnity

* Resignation and impeachment on hold until matter is resolved
* US, UK and Saudis back in secret loop
* Army high command standing by

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Last ditch efforts behind the scenes to secure an acceptable guarantee of “safe passage” and indemnity for President Pervez Musharraf’s are continuing and may delay the announcement of his resignation speech originally planned for August 14 (today), informed sources have told Daily Times.

It is learnt that there is an understanding between the coalition partners and President Musharraf that he will resign before impeachment proceedings can begin in earnest against him.

But President Musharraf is refusing to take “safe passage” to mean an immediate exile out of the country following his resignation. He is insisting on two conditions: first, that he will be entitled to stay in his house in Chak Shahzad on the outskirts of Islamabad and be provided full security and privileges as allowed under law to all presidents; second, that cast-iron guarantees of indemnity from any action against him following his resignation will be provided, preferably through an act of parliament.

It is also learnt that the army high command is standing by President Musharraf in these two demands. The last thing the army wants is to see either the impeachment of a former army chief or action against him by the civilians on any count. It may be noted that the current high commanders of the army were his partners in government when he was ruling the roost and took policy initiatives that later rebounded on his government and which could form the basis of any charge sheet against him.

US, UK, Saudis: Sources told Daily Times that the coalition partners were divided on the issue of what sort of indemnity and safe passage to provide him, with Mr Nawaz Sharif taking a harder line than Asif Zardari. President Musharraf’s international friends, the Saudis, Americans and British, are also running around to help both sides devise an acceptable formula for his “safe passage”.

The problem for the government is that it wants President Musharraf to quit immediately because it has already launched the run-up to the impeachment process and any delay in it will lead to a loss of credibility, especially if Mr Sharif is not on board and tries to exploit the situation by taking a different position from that taken by Mr Zardari. The danger is that if the deadlock is not resolved quickly and the impeachment process continues apace, the situation will become more intractable and even precipitous.

“Either the government must provide the proper guarantee quickly so that the president can resign immediately or put the impeachment process on hold until this matter is sorted out to our mutual satisfaction,” said a presidential aide to Daily Times.

Meanwhile, Mr Sharif has refused to comply with Mr Zardari’s demand that the PML-N rejoin the cabinet in earnest and take up the three big slots earmarked for it, namely finance, petroleum and commerce. The PML-N’s position is that it will not join the cabinet in earnest until the impeachment of President Musharraf is concluded and the judges have been restored.

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