Pakistan''s
President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday relinquished his post as Pak Army Chief by handing over his ceremonial baton
to his hand-picked successor, General Ashfaq Kayani. Musharraf stepped down from his dominant post, a day before he was to be sworn in as a civilian
president in a long-delayed pledge not to hold both jobs.
‘The system continues, people come and go, everyone has to go, every good thing comes to an end, everything is mortal,’ a sombre-looking Musharraf told the top brass and government leaders at the change-of-command ceremony.
Musharraf''s retirement from the military has been a key opposition demand and the move may help defuse a possible boycott of parliamentary elections in January by parties opposed to his rule. Since seizing power in a coup in 1999, Musharraf has served as president while retaining his post as head of the armed forces.
On Wednesday, hundreds of senior officers, politicians and other civilians watched from the stands as an unsmiling Musharraf, wearing a phalanx of medals and a green sash across his uniform, reviewed the ranks to the strains of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
‘I will no longer command ... but my heart and my mind will always be with you.’ Musharraf said in an emotional final speech to the troops.
Musharraf insists his continued rule as president is essential for Pakistan, which faces an increasingly violent onslaught from Islamic extremists, to remain stable as it reverts to democracy.
After a long time of his promise:--
Musharraf had promised to give up his army role at the end of 2004. But he reneged on that pledge, saying the country still needed strong leadership in the face of Islamic extremism.
He was re-elected by parliament in October, but his confirmation was held up by the Supreme Court following complaints that a military man could not constitutionally serve as an elected head-of-state.
Musharraf has faced increasingly adamant calls from critics at home and abroad to lift the
emergency and make good on a long-standing pledge to restore civilian rule. To calm the turmoil, he has released thousands of opponents and let all but one of Pakistan''s independent news channels go back on the air.
Improvement in the share market of Pakistan:--
Pakistan''s main stock index, slightly higher early on Wednesday, has recovered most of the losses since Musharraf declared emergency rule. It has gained about 37 percent since the beginning of the year.
The share market was in loss since Musharraf reacted by proclaiming a state of emergency on November 3, 2007.