Musharraf to reveal future action only after charges

Islamabad, August 9 : Even as the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) coalition prepares to impeach President Pervez Musharraf on August 11, the President has stated that he would decide his future course of action after considering the allegations levelled against him.

Musharraf told this to Pakistan Muslim League-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who in turn told him that if he decides to face the impeachment democratically, the party would support him.

However, if the President tries to use Article 58-2(b), then he will have no support from the PML-Q.

Meanwhile, the PML-N has decided to rejoin the federal cabinet.

According to the Dawn, PML-N party President Shahbaz Sharif told PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari that Education Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defence Production Minister Rana Tanveer, Youth Affairs Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, and Railways Minister Sardar Mahtab Abbasi would rejoin the cabinet "as a token of solidarity".

The PML-N ministers had resigned on May 12 after the expiry of the second deadline set by the coalition leadership for the reinstatement of the deposed judges.

PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told reporters that the remaining ministers would return to the cabinet only after reinstatement of all judges.

On Friday, the ruling coalition began lobbying for support for their move to impeach the President, and claimed a "positive response" from various independent groups.

Zardari and Shahbaz Sharif on Friday chaired a meeting of the six-member "War Committee" that put together a nine-point chargesheet against Musharraf.

Under the Constitution, the impeachment resolution is to be taken up in a joint sitting of the two houses and two-thirds of the total membership of parliament will be required to adopt it. The motion has to be moved by at least 50 per cent members of either house.

ANI