By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is mulling various options, including the imposition of martial law and suspending the constitution, given the fluid political situation in the country, a media report Friday said.
“Serious discussions are taking place to decide when to impose martial law in the country followed swiftly by a new provisional constitutional order (PCO),” Daily Times said.
Quoting high-level sources, it said Musharraf was “engaged in marathon sessions with his political and military advisors to examine various options on how to proceed ahead by holding the constitution in abeyance”.
“After the intervention, General Musharraf will run the country with the help of his governors and small neutral cabinets. The elections may be scheduled anytime from February to April next year,” the newspaper said.
However, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leadership “is trying to persuade the president not to wind up the present political set-up because in that case the PML would also be a loser. The PML is opposed to any pre-emptive step”, the newspaper quoted its sources as saying.
PML leaders and some civilian and military security officials wanted the decision to “wrap up the system” to be put on hold until the Supreme Court decision on petitions challenging Musharraf’s eligibility to contest the Oct 6 presidential election.
In contrast, the military top brass “was opposed to any delay and wants a quick change to establish the writ of the government before the law and order situation gets out of hand”, Daily Times said.
According to the newspaper, it was likely that the president would replicate the route he took in 1999 after overthrowing prime minister Nawaz Sharif when the constitution was held in abeyance and a provisional constitutional order (PCO) was promulgated to run the country.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chair Benazir Bhutto is believed to be aware of these developments and that was why she left the country in a hurry for Dubai on Thursday.