Islamabad - Pakistan' lower house of parliament Monday
opened its session with the governing coalition set to initiate
impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf after he
defied calls overnight to resign in the face of 'an unarguable trial.'
The meeting of the National Assembly convened late afternoon and
was expected to see a tirade of accusations against the retired army
general, but a formal battle will start only once a charge sheet is
tabled later in the week.
The coalition's leaders were yet to finalize the parliamentary
motion that would hold the embattled leader accountable for alleged
misconduct and repetitive violation of the constitution.
'This is a battle between dictatorship and democracy,' Information
Minister Sherry Rehman said on Sunday.
Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi asserted that Musharraf had
'no intentions of resigning' and 'he will face the impeachment motion
with a democratic spirit.'
In the meantime, Musharraf's foes plan to increase pressure
through the provincial assemblies which will consecutively adopt
resolutions asking the president to seek a confidence vote or face
impeachment.
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former prime minister
Benazir Bhutto and chief of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP),
and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif last week announced to impeach
the president for 'weakening the federation' and impeding transition
to a democratic rule in the country.
The coalition partners need a two-thirds majority in a joint
session of the National Assembly and the Senate to impeach Musharraf,
however, confusion prevails over the number of votes in favour of
Pakistan's first-ever presidential trial.
Musharraf, who came to power in 1999 after ousting Sharif in a
bloodless coup, enjoyed a largely unchallenged rule for more than
seven years, but was caught in a political and judicial whirlpool
last year when he proclaimed emergency rule and sacked dozens of
senior judges, including chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
The beleaguered leader has almost run out of options and is
believed to now have only three choices - resign, defend impeachment
or dismiss the government by dissolving parliament, which is possible
only with the backing of the army, a step likely to backfire.
Musharraf's primary power base, the military, seems reluctant to
outright support him because of the charged public sentiment against
such action. The US has also adopted a cautious approach, terming the
whole episode an internal issue of Pakistan.
US Ambassador Anne W Patterson reportedly held a meeting with
Musharraf on Monday but no details of the talks were available.
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