style solution looms on the horizon in the case of President Pervez Musharraf, who is threatened with impeachment through the parliament, informed sources say. They also say eminent constitutional experts Barrister Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, Senator SM Zafar and Dr Khalid Ranjha have consistently urged Musharraf that he has a strong case to defend himself as charges being levelled against him are groundless. But on the other hand, National Security Council Secretary Tariq Aziz, who has been the number one confidant of the president since 1999, and Attorney General of Pakistan Malik Qayyum have advised him to stand down. They base their arguments on the fear that serious implications might entail for the president, his colleagues and the country, if he decided to fight. These sources further say aging constitutional guru Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada has projected “caution and care”, implying that the president should call it a day. The Chaudhrys of Gujrat (Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi), who have again met Musharraf, stressed that the president should hold ground to give a lie to the campaign for his ouster on “flimsy charges.” Musharraf was also recently prompted to use Article 58(2)(b) – dissolution of the National Assembly and dismissal of the government - but the president said such order would not be enforceable. As part of a deal, President Richard Nixon, faced with impeachment on account of the Watergate scandal, had resigned. The two other elements of the way-out were that there would be no prosecution and no impeachment. On August 5, 1974, the long sought-after audio tapes provided the “smoking gun” which revealed Nixon had been deeply involved in the coverup and had ordered Haldeman to halt the FBI investigation just six days after the Watergate break-in. That revelation resulted in a complete collapse of support for Nixon in Congress. On August 9, Nixon resigned the presidency and avoided the likely prospect of losing the impeachment vote in the full House and a subsequent trial in the Senate. He thus became the only U.S. President ever to resign. Vice President Gerald R. Ford succeeded him and a month later granted Nixon a full pardon for any crimes he might have committed while President. A total of 25 officials from the Nixon administration, including four cabinet members, were eventually convicted and imprisoned for various crimes. Applying the same formula to the present case, sources say Musharraf will quit, and face no impeachment or prosecution. They insist that Musharraf has made it clear to all and sundry that he would live in his Chak Shahzad farm house that was designed by a young innovative architect. It is hurriedly being given final touches these days. Sources say that legal eagles especially Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, who have told the president that his opponents have no case against him, have informed him that they are in a position to speak for him in the joint parliamentary sitting as well as superior courts. They say since all the actions of the president have already been indemnified, no proceedings, judicial or parliamentary, could be initiated against him. “It would not be a legal battle but is a political war that Musharraf can win when the die is so comprehensively cast against him,” the president has been told by some of his other visitors. A prominent Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader, who introduced different guests to Musharraf during the Independence Day function on the night of August 13 at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (presidential palace), told this correspondent that the president was not in his top form. He was never so downcast, according to him, as the vigor and vibrancy was lost. When the PML-Q leader introduced the daughter (who works for an Indian TV channel) of human rights activist Asma Jehangir to the president, Musharraf said, “tell her mother that I and she share the approach to the women's rights, but differ on modalities.” Replying, the young journalist said this is precisely what Zardari has been saying on the question of the restoration of the judges and other issues. While introducing the young girl, the PML-Q leader had remarked that she was a balanced person. He thus reminded Musharraf of his remark about Asma Jehangir when he had stated that she was an unbalanced woman. Sources say that General Pervez Ashfaq Kayani-led Pakistan Army has restored its image in a big way by distancing itself from Musharraf, who, it thought, has massively mauled its image and become a liability. They say the army has never been able to revive its image in such a short span of time. They refer to the order of the army chief that he had issued four days before Feb 18 general elections conveying to all the DCOs and DPOs that there should be no interference in the polls. This had ensured fair, free and transparent elections. These sources say that in April this year Musharraf in a meeting with General Kayani had expressed his serious reservations over certain policies. At the time, speculation had hit the country that the president wants to replace Kayani, which was nailed at the official level. The third instance of the army's visible distancing from Musharraf came when General Kayani had another function in connection with the Independence Day instead of attending an event at the Aiwan-e-Sadr while all other service chiefs were present at the presidency. Regarding the present go-betweens, the sources name Advisor Rehman Malik, Tariq Aziz and the chief of a spy agency, who keep liaising with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Zardari as well as the president. __
