Pervez's re-election: Cabinet Min resigns

Islamabad, Aug 28: Pakistan"s Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunications, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, has resigned from the Government in protest against President Pervez Musharraf's plans to seek re-election in uniform.

Khakwani said that he had arrived at the decision before meeting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who has expressed deep concern about Khakwani's recent public criticism of Musharraf"s intention to retain both posts.

Khakwani said he was not asked to resign. "I thought before I am told to restrain myself, I should resign," he said in an interview.

According to the New York Times, Khakwani had been making statements that were often at odds with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quami) 's position.

A number of other senior members of the governing party have voiced similar concerns. Khakwani said that many other cabinet ministers agreed with him in principle, and added that Musharraf was not listening to dissenting voices.

The senior party members who have spoken out have said they would continue to support Musharraf's candidacy as a civilian president, but have warned that the Supreme Court is likely to rule his nomination illegal unless he steps down as army chief. Any attempt to force his nomination through, they warn, will incite widespread protest.

The News reported Sunday that the chief of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, Lieutenant General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani, and Musharraf's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Hamid Javaid, had arrived in London to hold talks with Sharif.

Sharif has emerged as a major challenger to Musharraf after the Supreme Court ruled last week that the former prime minister had the right to return from exile and take part in the general elections.

On Monday, Dawn reported that top aides to President Musharraf were in London to salvage a "deal" with Benazir Bhutto.

Bhutto has been in negotiations with Musharraf and his aides for months over a power-sharing deal that would allow him to continue for another term as a civilian president and allow her to return to take part in elections, perhaps as a candidate for prime minister, freed of legal impediments stemming from corruption charges and limits on her running for prime minister for a third time.

Bhutto has been demanding concrete concessions, including a pledge that Musharraf stop wearing his uniform.

ANI >