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I must remain the Army chief: Musharraf

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD April 25. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has said that he would neither quit as the Army Chief nor give up the post of President. The tone and tenor of Gen. Musharraf at a three-hour interaction with Pakistani editors on Thursday evening has surprised observers. Though it has been billed as an interactive meeting with editors, Gen. Musharraf was conveying an unambiguous message to the MPs in particular and people in general. The PTV telecast the interaction live.

Gen. Musharraf touched all subjects and sought to emphasise the importance of his continuing to preside over the military establishment. ``Pakistan is currently going through a delicate phase of transition. It is necessary that I remain the Army Chief and act as a bridge between the civilian set-up and military,'' he said.

In a way he told the Opposition, which has been demanding his resignation as Army Chief, to reconcile to the status quo or face the consequences. The Assembly was his creation and he would like to see it last the full term.

Gen. Musharraf sought to make a distinction between the parties led by the two former Prime Ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and the religious parties. He accused Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Sharif of pursuing personal agendas and lacking sincerity. When a reporter suggested that the Government release Asif Ali Zardari, Ms. Bhutto's husband, in the same way it released the Sind Governor, Ishratul Ibad, Gen. Musharraf said: ``Before his appointment, I asked the Core Commander in Karachi to check details of cases against Dr. Ibad and there were none. There are 11 serious cases against Mr. Zardari.''

He was not prepared to concede the Opposition demand for bringing the Legal Framework Order (LFO), incorporating changes he had made to the Constitution. ``The LFO is part of the Constitution. The Supreme Court and Lahore High Court have validated it. Bringing it to the Parliament means setting aside the court verdicts.''

Gen. Musharraf said he was flexible on some clauses of the LFO but would not spell them. ``The Government and the Opposition know the areas of flexibility'', he said.

To a question, Gen. Musharraf indicated that he would give up his uniform long before completing his five-year presidential term.

In view of the dangers that Pakistan was facing at the moment, internationally, regionally and internally, it was necessary for all the institutions to be united. Most importantly he had a ``role to play in developing a concord between the military and the civilian sections of society''. In this regard, he said, he could address the military leadership frequently, but this would not be possible without the uniform.

According to him, the PPP and the PML-N leaders were interested in getting a deal for their leaders in exile. Answering another question, he said it was not he who had sent Mr. Nawaz Sharif into exile. ``They begged me. When I agreed, they went out happily.''

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