Members of Pakistan's ruling coalition say they have finalized a draft
of impeachment charges against embattled President Pervez Musharraf.
A
drafting committee Saturday said the charges range from violating
the constitution to misconduct. They have been given to coalition
officials for scrutiny before being filed by Tuesday of next week.
Pakistan's
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday called on President
Musharraf to make up his mind on whether to resign or not. Qureshi
said if the president does not step down in the next two days, the
impeachment process will begin.
On Friday, Mr. Musharraf's
allies said talks were under way to reach an agreement that would allow
him to resign without facing impeachment or criminal charges. But Mr.
Musharraf's spokesman Rashid Qureshi said reports that the president
will step down rather than face impeachment are baseless.
Pakistani
media is reporting that Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief Muqrin bin
Abdul Aziz has traveled to Pakistan to help mediate a deal between
President Musharraf and the ruling coalition.
This week,
Pakistan's four provincial legislatures voted in favor of a resolution
calling on the president to seek a confidence vote in the national
parliament. Mr. Musharraf is not required by the constitution to face
such a vote.
Removing the president requires a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Pakistan's parliament.
Mr.
Musharraf seized power in a bloodless 1999 military coup. He ruled
largely unchallenged for years, while enjoying U.S. support as a close
ally in the fight against terrorism.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
