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Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf will quit the post of army chief if he is re-elected president for another term, his chief lawyer informed the Supreme Court here yesterday.
Sharifuddin Pirzada submitted a written statement about General Musharraf's decision before a nine-judge bench hearing several petitions challenging the president's "dual role" and his eligibility to contest the forthcoming presidential election.
"If elected for a second term as president, Gen Pervez Musharraf shall relinquish the charge of the office of the chief of army staff soon after the election but before taking oath of office of president of Pakistan for the next term," the statement said.
The two-paragraph statement added that the nomination papers of Gen Musharraf in the presidential election "should be scrutinised by the chief election commissioner/returning officer independently and in accordance with the law."
The chief election commissioner over the weekend changed presidential election rules to exempt candidates from a constitutional provision that a government servant cannot stand for political office until after two years of retirement.
The law change drew strong criticism from lawyers, retired judges and the opposition parties on the ground that the move was meant to pave the way for Musharraf's candidacy by circumventing the constitutional bar.
During the hearing yesterday, advocate Akram Shaikh representing Jamaat-e-Islami party, one of the several petitioners, dismissed the president's statement as untrustworthy. He said the statement was designed to influence the court. The counsel said Musharraf had blatantly reneged in the past on his pledge to shed the uniform.
Prime Minister hails decision
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz met President Pervez Musharraf and congratulated him over his decision to take the oath as a civilian head of state. According to an official release, Aziz said the decision was a clear reflection of Musharraf's "firm belief in democracy and a testimony to the fact that he has always upheld national and democratic interests over and above his own".
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