Musharraf says he will quit army role

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-06-2007 13:26

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf speaks in Islamabad in this image taken from television footage dated November 3, 2007. (PTV via Reuters TV/Reuters)

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf says he's determined to quit as army chief and become a civilian president.

A state of emergency continues in the country and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has called for an election date to be set. The US government is urging the Pakistani government to end emergency rule and return to democracy.

Musharraf told foreign diplomats on Monday he intends to be a civilian president and start fresh elections in the third stage of transition he promised when he took power in 1999.

Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's President, said, "I am determined to execute this third stage of transition fully. And I am determined to remove my uniform once we correct these pillars, the judiciary, and the executive and the parliament legislative. I can assure you there will be harmony. There will be harmony, confidence will come back into government, into law-enforcement agencies and Pakistan will start moving again on the same track as we were moving."

Musharraf declared emergency rule and suspended the constitution on Saturday. He issued a provisional constitutional order, citing the rise in violence and the abuse of the country's judiciary. He also appointed new judges in the Supreme Court.

The political situation in Pakistan has taken a downward turn since the return of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. She's urging the Musharraf government to revive the constitution and set a clear date for the elections.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto addresses a news conference at her residence in Karachi Pakistan on Saturday Nov. 3, 2007.  (AP Photo) 

Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister, said, "If General Musharraf wants to defuse the turmoil he should revive the constitution as soon as possible. He should assure people and give a particular date when the elections will be held and when the elections will conclude. And that he is quitting the post of army chief."

The timetable of the elections is also the concern of Pakistan's many allies in the west. Responding to growing skepticism, Pakistan's current Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz says the general elections will be held in mid January as scheduled.

At a news conference in the West Bank on Monday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Musharraf to follow through on past promises to "take off his uniform" and restore normalcy in the country.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks at the State Department in Washington October 31, 2007.  REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, said, "We believe that the best path for Pakistan is to quickly return to a constitutional path and then to hold elections. It is also true that President Musharraf has said that he would take off his uniform - that would be an important step."

Rice also said Washington is reviewing its assistance to Islamabad. Pakistan has received billions of US dollars in aid since the country became a close ally of the US-led "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei