Pakistan: Musharraf calls off China trip amid fears of his ouster

By NNN-Bernama,

Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday abruptly cancelled his scheduled visit to China to participate in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, in the wake of reports that Pakistan’s ruling coalition could be finalising a move to impeach him.


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Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told reporters that Musharraf, who was due to fly to Beijing Wednesday, had called off his visit, a day after sparring coalition allies Pakistan People’s Party and Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N had crucial talks to discuss his fate.

Officials, whoever, did not give any reason for the decision, according to a report filed by the Press Trust of India (PTI), on Wednesday.

Other sources, however, said Musharraf cancelled his visit after the top leaders of the PPP-led coalition agreed in principle to impeach the President.

Musharraf has also called a meeting of his close constitutional and legal advisors at his camp office in Rawalpindi to discuss a strategy to counter any possible move to impeach him, the sources said.

The sources further said the decision to explore ways to impeach Musharraf was taken during a marathon meeting Tuesday between PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

Both parties have been tight-lipped about the meeting and did not issue any statement on the talks.

Leaders of both parties merely said they had reached consensus on several key issues and a final decision would be taken after consulting the other allies of the coalition, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Awami National Party and parliamentarians from the tribal areas.

The top leaders of the PPP and PML-N were scheduled to meet here at 2 PM.

The PPP and PML-N. also held hectic consultations with leaders of the other parties in the coalition Tuesday night.

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