By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf said he will overcome the political unrest prompted by his controversial sacking of the country's chief justice, local media reported Saturday.
The turmoil, the biggest challenge to Musharraf's authority since he took over in a military coup eight years ago, would die down soon, he said.
Musharraf's suspension of the country's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in March over allegations of misconduct has sparked protests by lawyers, opposition activists and civil society groups.
"The ongoing drama will end itself very soon and there is nothing to worry about it," the military ruler was quoted as saying by the newspaper Daily Times in talks with a group of parliamentarians from the country's ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) Friday.
"All the ruling parliamentarians should defend my policies and agenda during electioneering in their respective constituencies," he told the party members who have so far distanced themselves from the crisis.
Earlier this week Musharraf accused the ruling coalition of leaving him in the lurch: "I bluntly say that you always leave me alone in times of trial and tribulation," he told the members of PML-Q on Thursday.
Isolated at home, Musharraf is also facing guarded criticism from foreign governments, including the US State Department and the European Union, mainly for his efforts to restrict media from coverage of the crisis.