Musharraf to resign as Pakistani president

         Musharraf is leaving the presidency before the Pakistani Parliament throws him out. A coalition of his opponents, swept into power in February elections, has been drawing up impeachment charges against him and claimed to have the votes (two thirds of Parliament) to oust him.

        In a rambling address on Pakistani television, a solemn Musharraf defended his record and said he was confident he could have beaten the impeachment charges against him. But he said he was willing to sacrifice himself to bring stability to his nuclear-armed nation: “Can this country afford ay more confrontation? … Can the country afford any more economic upheaval?”

    In the past week, Pakistani news media were filled with speculation over Musharraf’s fate — whether he would step down, contest the impeachment charges or use his power as president to dissolve Parliament. Pakistan’s The Nation newspaper on Monday urged Musharraf to resign: “General Musharraf must see the writing on the wall. It is time he stopped blustering about contesting the charge against him, lent an ear to the saner counseling and quit.”

     Musharraf, a former army chief who seized power in a 1999 coup, had enjoyed strong support from the White House, which viewed him as a reliable ally in the fight against Islamist terrorism. After the 9/11 attacks on Washington and New York City, Musharraf dropped his support for the fundamentalist Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan and offered logistical support to the U.S. forces that drove the Taliban from power.

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