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| Friday, 17 September 2004 |
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Pakistan President to stay as army chief ISLAMABAD, Thursday (Reuters) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will stay on as chief of the army staff beyond the date he promised to give up the post, the information minister said on Wednesday. Musharraf, a key ally in U.S. President George W. Bush's "war on terror", had previously promised to stand down as army chief by Dec. 31, 2004 in a deal with hardline Islamic opponents in which they allowed legislation through parliament that boosted Musharraf's presidential powers. "The president has decided to keep both offices of the president and the army chief beyond December 31," Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Reuters. The minister did not offer specific details as to why the president had decided to hold onto the position. "He has to take many important decisions ... war on terror is of course an important issue." Musharraf said last week the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis wanted him to keep his military uniform. But the decision is likely to infuriate his hardline Islamic and secular opponents in Pakistan's parliament as well as the Commonwealth. The hardline Islamic groups had earlier threatened to launch a protest movement if Musharraf did not step down as army chief. But observers say the opposition's protest is unlikely to pose any challenge to his rule given the parliamentary majority of the pro-military ruling party and its allies. |
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