A note: This is important on a number of levels, as the Taliban continues to roam without restraint in western Pakistan.
UPDATE 2: According to the International Herald Tribune:
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, and a former political rival, Benazir Bhutto, have reached agreement regarding Musharraf's military role, a key step toward a power-sharing agreement, a senior official said Wednesday.
"Both sides have agreed on the issue of uniform," said Sheik Rashid Ahmed, railways minister and a close Musharraf ally. Bhutto was quoted in a British newspaper making a similar remark, though neither she nor Ahmed elaborated.
Envoys for the U.S.-allied military president and for former Prime Minister Bhutto, who is planning a return from exile abroad, are trying to work out a pact that would help Musharraf secure another five-year presidential term.
h/t play jurist
UPDATE 3: I need to attend a lunch meeting, but I'll heavily update in an hour...
UPDATE 4 continued:
From the New York Times:
Musharraf Said to Agree to Drop Role as Army Chief
By SALMAN MASOOD
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 29 — President Pervez Musharraf has agreed to resign as army chief during negotiations with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on a deal that would allow him to serve another term as president and for her to return to Pakistan to contest parliamentary elections, Ms. Bhutto said today.
“We’re very pleased that Gen. Musharraf has taken the decision to listen to the people of Pakistan by taking the decision to take off the uniform,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I expected that he will step down before the presidential elections, but that is for the president to say.”
From London's TimesOnline:
General Musharraf has already announced his intention to seek election for a second five-year term. But Pakistani law bars him from holding both offices beyond November unless changes are made to the constitution. Today the Supreme Court began hearing a constitutional petition challenging General Musharraf’s candidacy.
General Musharraf’s reluctance to resign as head of the army has remained a major stumbling block in his quest to win Ms Bhutto’s support for his bid to remain as President for five more years. Ms Bhutto wanted General Musharraf to seek election as a civilian.
Ms Bhutto told negotiators that her party members would resign if General Musharraf tried to get himself elected by the current parliament. Ms Bhutto made a series of demands in return for backing General Musharraf, including the restoration of the constitution in the form that existed before the military takeover in 1999.
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My Take on this:
I think that this is important on a couple of levels. First, it reduces -- albeit slightly -- Musarraf's control over the army, making him less of a dictator and exposing himself to democratic controls, i.e. he might lose the next election.
Secondly, it brings back Bhutto, who, while corrupt, is definitely not a friend of the Taliban, and will help reduce their impact on the Pakistani government. This has the added bonus of helping to keep Pakistan's nuclear arsenal out of Talibai hands. She's also got better contacts within the U.S. State Department.
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