Musharraf resigns: 'I put Pakistan first, as always'

President bows to massive domestic and international pressure and stands down, heading off impeachment proceedings.

ISLAMABAD // Pervez Musharraf bowed to massive domestic and international pressure today and resigned as president of Pakistan, heading off impeachment proceedings due to start this week.

A grim-faced Mr Musharraf delivered an impassioned defence of his record in a live television broadcast that lasted more than an hour today afternoon. As he finished, his voice trembled and the former army commando who rose to the military's highest rank appeared to have tears in his eyes. A final "God bless Pakistan" put an end to almost nine years in power. "If I was doing this just for myself, I might have chosen a different course, but I put Pakistan first, as always," said Mr Musharraf, who wore a western suit and tie and spoke in Urdu, the national language. The coalition government, which announced less than two weeks ago that it would impeach the president, had managed to stage a bloodless coup against a man who himself had risen to power in a coup d'état. Reza Rabbani, a leading member of the coalition, said: "This is the first time in Pakistan's political history where you have the people winning against establishment institutions." There were celebrations on the streets of Pakistan. People distributed sweets and fired guns in the air. Some broke into dance. Yousaf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, told parliament last night: "Today parliament has become sovereign. We can hold our head up high in the world and say that we too are a democracy." It had been predicted that Mr Musharraf would step down as a part of a western-mediated agreement between the president and the coalition government that would see charges against him dropped in exchange for his departure. However, there was no announcement today on whether Mr Musharraf would be granted immunity from prosecution or be allowed to stay in Pakistan. He suggested that no deal had been cut. "I don't want anything from anybody. I have no interest. I leave my future in the hands of the nation and people," he said. "Let them be the judges. Let them do justice." It was humiliating nevertheless for the former army chief to have to submit to the very politicians he always despised. The president failed in the basic task that he set himself when he seized power in 1999: to change the political system so that democracy could function better. He leaves Pakistan in the hands of the same politicians he had denounced. The party of Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister he ousted in 1999 who is now part of the coalition government, said the president's resignation was not enough. Nisar Ali Khan, a leader of Mr Sharif's party said: "He [Musharraf] should answer in a court of law for the crimes he has committed against the people of Pakistan." Although the threat of impeachment is gone, as he is no longer in office, in theory, Mr Musharraf could now face treason charges in the courts for breaking the constitution. Analysts said that although it is highly unlikely the government would bring such charges, the administration cannot do anything about private individuals who might bring cases against him. Mr Musharraf admitted he was left with no choice but to step down. "Even if I beat this impeachment, relations between the presidency and the government can never be fixed. Pillars of the state - parliament and the judiciary - would be harmed and, God forbid, the army might have been dragged in," he said. "No 'charge sheet' can stand against me because I never did anything for myself. Whatever I did, I put Pakistan first." But the president, who was an almost absolute ruler until he stepped down as army chief in November and held elections in February, did not leave before rejecting the allegations and criticisms levelled against him, which he called "lies". "When I took over, nine years ago, this country was on the verge of being declared a terrorist state, on the verge of becoming a failed state," Mr Musharraf said. "The challenges of the last nine years have been greater than any in Pakistan's history, yet have I met those challenges." Most members of the coalition government did not want to go through the trauma of impeachment proceedings, hoping that the threat of prosecution would be enough to persuade the president to go, a strategy that proved successful. Pakistan's army, which has ruled the country for more than half its tumultuous history, quietly told Mr Musharraf that it would not back him if he decided to fight the impeachment, stripping him of the only support that might have saved him. Similarly, close allies, in particular the United States, Britain and Saudi Arabia, also indicated to the president that it was time to go. However, those international allies are also thought to have put pressure on the Pakistani government to let him resign before impeachment. Since September 11, Mr Musharraf has been a crucial antiterrorism ally for the West, but the international community had distanced itself from the president over the past few months, taking the side of parties elected in February against the man whose continuation in office appeared to have paralysed government. It is hoped now that there will be some measure of political stability in Pakistan, so that the government will tackle the deep-seated problems of poverty and extremism. [e-mail]