Pak House meets to impeach Musharraf, he vows to fight

The session of the 342-member Assembly commenced this evening as the PPP-led coalition said it has drawn up an “unimpeachable” chargesheet listing allegations of misconduct, violation of Constitution and financial irregularities against Musharraf who turned 65 today.

“It will be an unimpeachable document supported by documentary evidence of all the acts of omission and commission committed by Musharraf that make him liable to impeachment several times,” PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. The panel drafting the chargesheet has made “significant progress” in listing the charges against Musharraf, he said.

Officials said the charges against the President are likely to be filed later in the week amid a rising clamour in the ruling coalition that he step down.

Presidential spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi said Musharraf will not resign “in any situation” and battle it out.

Musharraf will have the right to defend himself after the impeachment motion is moved. Ahead of the National Assembly session, he held talks with his supporters in the opposition PML-Q during which he vowed to prove “false before the nation” all charges against him, the local Geo TV reported.

PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari has alleged that Musharraf “misappropriated” $700 million of aid given by Washington to Islamabad for supporting the war on terror.

The allegation made by Zardari was also discussed when PML-Q lawmakers — Marvi Memon, Amir Muqam and Sheikh Waqas Ahmed — met Musharraf for about an hour in Rawalpindi.

After the four provincial assemblies pass separate resolutions asking Musharraf to seek a vote of confidence, the PPP-led coalition will submit an impeachment motion and chargesheet against Musharraf in the National Assembly.

While there have been questions on whether the coalition had the numbers in the National Assembly and the Senate, Zardari said he was “110 per cent sure” of the success of impeachment motion.

Both houses of Parliament have a combined strength of 442, and the motion will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority or 295 members. Anti-Musharraf parties have a total of 274 members — 235 in the Assembly and 39 in the Senate — which is short of the magic number.