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Musharraf bids farewell to troops

Islamabad: Bowing to intense domestic and global pressure, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is finally set to shed uniform on Wednesday after a nine-year reign as Army chief and hand over charge to his trusted deputy and former ISI chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani before being sworn in as a civilian ruler for a second term on Thursday.

The 64-year-old General will end a military career that began in 1964 at a ceremony at the General Headquarters in the nearby garrison town of Rawalpindi, said presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi.

The military ruler will chair a meeting of the corps commanders before stepping down. The chiefs of the services and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Tariq Majid, will pay farewell calls on Gen. Musharraf at the General Headquarters before he hands over charge to Gen. Kayani.

Gen. Musharraf, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999 by deposing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will be administered the oath as a civilian President by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sharif said in Lahore that it would not be enough for the General and asked him to reinstate members of the pre-emergency judiciary.

Mr. Sharif, who met several judges of the Lahore High Court who refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) issued by Gen. Musharraf, said: “We salute all the judges who have not taken oath under the PCO. They stand for the solidarity of Pakistan.”

However, two of Gen. Musharraf’s close aides said the General, who is expected to end the emergency and restore the Constitution soon, would not reinstate the deposed judges.

Attorney-General Malik Qayyum and the former Railway Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said the President may lift the Emergency, withdraw the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) and restore the Constitution within a few days, but he will never accept the opposition’s demand to reinstate deposed judges.

Mr. Qayyum’s remarks follow Lahore High Court Bar Association’s decision to cancel his membership. It also dared Mr. Qayyum to come and sit in the bar while holding him responsible for amending the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act to allow the Supreme Court to take action against lawyers.

The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, said rallies could be banned during the campaign for the January 8 general election as part of a security code of conduct.

The code prepared by the Ministry and sent to political parties and the Election Commission also recommends that political gatherings may be allowed only at specified places, said Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema.

He also said there would be no change in Pakistan’s policy for the war on terror after Gen. Musharraf sheds uniform.

In line with the tradition of making “farewell calls,” Gen. Musharraf on Tuesday made a round of visits to various key military bases and facilities to thank military commanders for their support.

Wearing a ceremonial dress, medals and a green sash, Gen. Musharraf first went to Joint Staff Headquarters, where he was presented a guard of honour by a tri-services contingent and met the Directors-General. — PTI

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