Musharraf to remain president and army chief
Pakistan’s senate president signed legislation today that will allow General Pervez Musharraf to remain as both head of state and army chief beyond December 31.
Parliament passed the legislation earlier this month. It was signed into law by Mohammed Mian Soomro who, as chairman of the senate, is Pakistan’s acting president while Musharraf is on a visit to Latin America, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said.
There was no doubt that the legislation would be signed, but the timing was unusual and appeared to indicate that Musharraf did not want to put his name on it.
The general has been under fire for reneging on promises to restore full democracy, though both Washington and the Commonwealth of former British colonies have indicated a willingness to go along with his move in the interest of stability in a key ally in the war on terror.
Under the constitution, legislation passed by Parliament must be signed by the president within 30 days. Since Musharraf is away, Soomro signed the bill, which takes effect at the end of the year, to “meet a constitutional requirement”, Ahmed said.
He did not specify how long Musharraf will hold the military post. His term as president expires in 2007.
The move came two days after a coalition of six radical Islamic groups – who jointly hold 77 seats in the 342-seat National Assembly, the lower house of parliament – held a large rally to kick off a campaign to force Musharraf to honour his promise to step down as army chief.
They gave him until December 19 to announce his retirement at the end of the year, a demand he has no plans to meet.
A coalition spokesman, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, said the opposition “won’t accept” the legislation.
“We will take it to the court of the people,” he said, while refusing to say whether they had any intention to challenge the matter legally.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party said it would protest in the senate.
“We condemn and denounce this move by the acting president,” party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
But Ahmed, the information minister, said the time has come for the opposition to “stop the politics of confrontation” and “realise that we need political stability”.
Musharraf, a key US ally in the war on terror, seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999. He held parliamentary elections in 2002 but changed the constitution first, giving himself sweeping powers, including the right to sack the prime minister, cabinet and parliament.
Last year, the coalition struck a deal with Musharraf, agreeing to accept him as president until 2007 in return for his pledge to quit his army post before 2005.
However, Pakistan’s ruling Muslim League-Q party passed a bill this month, clearing the way for the general to remain president and army chief until 2007.
The legislation came weeks after Musharraf said he would go back on his promise, claiming most people want him to keep his uniform to maintain stability as he fights terrorism. He also says Pakistan needs the military’s firm guiding hand to build a democratic state.
