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Islamabad: Pakistani newspapers implored President Pervez Musharraf to resign, rather than drag the country through more political upheaval, a day after the leaders of the civilian coalition declared plans to impeach him.
"For the sake of all of us, please maintain your dignity and go quietly," wrote the News, the English language flagship of the powerful Jang media group.
But many editorials yesterday feared the former commando who seized power in a coup nine years ago will demonstrate his characteristic fighting spirit at the wrong time.
"President Pervez Musharraf is not among those people who will resign for the sake of the country or to protect his honour," said Nawa-i-Waqt, a leading Urdu language daily.
"Had he wished to do that, he could have resigned immediately after the February 18 elections," it wrote, referring to polls that stripped Musharraf of parliamentary support and was widely interpreted as a referendum on his rule.
Pakistanis have mastered the art of predicting the unexpected in course of a turbulent history that has seen the nation yo-yo between civilian and military rule in 61 years since the country was formed out of the partition of India.
"Unless something out of the ordinary happens, President Pervez Musharraf's political fate has been sealed," the Dawn newspaper said. Army commanders were meeting for a second day yesterday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, close to Islamabad.
The generals' reaction to the prospect of their former chief being booted out will be critical to Pakistan's latest attempt to make democracy work.
The News summed up the situation with a front page headline: "Litmus test for army's neutrality". Musharraf has powers to dissolve the hostile parliament.
But The Nation, a conservative daily, believed that it won't happen because of Musharraf's own unpopularity, opposition from mainstream parties and their smaller allies, as well as from a robust lawyers movement and other sections of civil society.
Lots of trouble
"He can save the country a lot of trouble by resigning voluntarily," said The Nation, a Lahore-based newspaper that tends to reflect conservative views.
Pakistan's media turned decisively against Musharraf after he clamped down on reporting, particularly by television news channels, as his grip on power began to slide in 2007.
The Jang group became even stronger in its attacks after Musharraf blocked its Geo News channel from airing when he imposed emergency rule at the end of last year. While wanting to see Musharraf quit to end the political deadlock, newspapers recognised that his going would be no panacea for Pakistan's economic problems or rising Islamist militancy.
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