Pakistan's Prez Leaving Army Post

Pakistan's military president agreed Wednesday to step down as head of the armed forces by the end of 2004, part of a deal with a powerful hardline Islamic coalition to end a standoff that has crippled parliament and stalled this nation's return to democracy, leaders of both parties said.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf also agreed to scale back some of the special powers he decreed himself after ousting the civilian government in a 1999 military coup. Under the agreement, Musharraf will remain president, but must seek a vote of confidence in parliament within a month of stepping down as military chief.

"It is good for democracy and good for the stability of the country," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press. "The president has proven he is sincere about democracy."

Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, a spokesman for the Islamic coalition, also confirmed the deal. The agreement, which calls for Musharraf to quit his army position by Dec. 31, 2004, was signed at a hastily called ceremony in the capital.

The deal is an odd marriage of convenience between the U.S.-backed president and the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, or MMA, a coalition of hardline Islamic parties that have been deeply critical of American policy in the region, particularly its ouster of the Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan.

Opposition lawmakers — led by the MMA — have paralyzed parliament for months, harassing speakers, staging mass walkouts, and blocking most legislation.

They are angry about special powers Musharraf granted himself that give him the right to sack the prime minister and disband parliament by decree. Together, the special powers are known as the Legal Framework Order.

The agreement allows Musharraf to keep the controversial powers, but require him to consult the prime minister before sacking the government, and then seek approval from the Supreme Court for the move.

Musharraf's ruling PML-Q party controls a slim majority in parliament, but needs the MMA to reach the two-thirds support necessary to amend the constitution and ratify the powers.

The MMA says it will continue to vote in opposition to Musharraf's ruling faction, but would vote with the president's party to formalize the special powers. Ahmad said the MMA would also back Musharraf during the vote of confidence.

S.M. Zafar, a pro-Musharraf senator and one of the architects of the deal, said it was a historic moment for the country, which has been ruled by the military for more than half of its 47 years.

"This is a milestone in the democratic history of Pakistan and a triumph for tolerance and dialogue," he told AP.

Musharraf overthrew the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 in a bloodless coup. He won a five-year term as president in a 2002 referendum in which he was the only candidate.

In October 2002, he allowed elections to choose a national parliament and provincial assemblies, permitting a measure of democracy to return to this conservative Islamic country. Both Sharif and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's leading political figures, were barred from taking part in the vote.

Sharif lives in exile in Saudi Arabia and Bhutto splits her time between London and Dubai. She faces arrest on corruption charges if she returns to Pakistan.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, a Musharraf ally, now runs the day-to-day operations of the government, but Musharraf has remained the ultimate power in the country.

While MMA and government officials have been negotiating for months, the deal was still a shocking reversal for the religious coalition, which won unprecedented support in the October 2002 election on the strength of a virulently anti-American, anti-Musharraf platform. The coalition — which includes several pro-Taliban parties — had been threatening mass protests if the government did not compromise.

Musharraf had vowed to keep his military post as long as he felt it was in the best interest of the nation. Many observers wonder how long he will be able to remain as president without the power of his army role.

The Pakistani leader was jolted by a Dec. 14 assassination attempt that came within seconds of blowing up his limousine as it passed a bridge in Rawalpindi, near the capital. High-tech jamming devices in Musharraf's vehicle apparently delayed the explosion.

Hardline Islamic militant groups were believed behind the attack, though no major suspects have been arrested.