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India-Pakistan
Pakistan's Musharraf steps down
2008-08-18
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, facing impeachment by parliament, has announced that he is resigning.
"That's it! I'm outta here!"
In a national televised address he said he was confident the charges against him would not stand, but this was not the time for more confrontation.
"I seen what they did to Bhutto, father and daughter! This is what my back looks like!"
The charges against the president include violation of the constitution and gross misconduct.
"My work here is done!"
He has been one of the United States' strongest allies in its war against Islamist extremism.
I'm not sure I'd characterize him as one of the "strongest."
His political rivals swept to power last February in national and provincial elections after months of political confrontation and worsening militant violence.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says Mr Musharraf's resignation marks the end of an era for a country facing enormous economic and security challenges.
Posted by:john frum

#44  I just want you all to do what I do on a regular basis and that is why I am such a miserable loser.

I just can't control myself on an online community.

You may now consider me a maggot.

Sorry
Posted by: Data Ana1yist   2008-08-18 22:59  

#43  who earned their pension here?
Posted by: Injun Whineter4210   2008-08-18 22:57  

#42  In any military unit the most worthless waste of flesh and bones gets the name "pappy." why the fuck would you willingly take that name when it reveals a career of negative value. do you wear a clown suit when you go to the mall? how many front teeth do you have? i get the picture; beer and do nuts. fuck off
Posted by: ima moron   2008-08-18 22:56  

#41  Aw, come on. You're giving morons an undeserved insult.
Posted by: Semble Watkins   2008-08-18 22:08  

#40  If IP addresses were added to IQ points, you'd be almost a moron, Data.
Posted by: Darrell   2008-08-18 21:48  

#39  My vaginismus scares away men. only toothless pentagon janitors will have me. cure me of skankdom
Posted by: not trailing wife   2008-08-18 21:45  

#38  lotpig:

you do the banning. i make you as a toothless sack of shit who hasn't had a hard on in 30 years. Go fuck yourself.

Ban me a second time and i will be back a second time you piece of worthless shit. not even good for fertilizer.
Posted by: Data Analys t   2008-08-18 21:43  

#37  I rest my case.
Posted by: Darrell   2008-08-18 21:32  

#36  Data Analyst has one or two more comment opportunities to show that s/he has something of value to offer here.

Note that 'something of value' can and presumably would include a reasoned statement of opinions that differ from the majority of RBers.

OTOH if s/he persists in offering nothing but adolescent insults it's not worth letting him/her use up Fred's bandwidth.
Posted by: lotp   2008-08-18 20:07  

#35  OK...who left the cage door open?
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2008-08-18 19:26  

#34  At least we can see our reflections, Data Analyst. I'm sorry your cannot.
Posted by: trailing wife    2008-08-18 19:25  

#33  That's one less spot in the amerikan archipelago of fascist partners. Do you people ever look in the mirror?
Posted by: Data Analyst   2008-08-18 18:58  

#32  The Taliban are expendable cannon fodder.

Musharraf is a former chief of army staff of the Pakistan army. The army guards its position and prerogatives zealously. It has its pride. It will attempt to shield Perv.

Chaudhry and Nawaz Sharif may relish seeing Perv in Saudi exile but will probably have to back down. The army can and will hurt them.
Posted by: john frum   2008-08-18 18:44  

#31  Dopes that include the Taliban?
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2008-08-18 18:21  

#30  Kayani.

The Pak military will not let a civilian (the senate president) hold the football.

Previous military rulers (Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan) when deposed lived quite comfortable lives in Rawalpindi, drinking scotch and playing golf.

They've always protected their own.
Posted by: john frum   2008-08-18 17:33  

#29  Ok, whose got the nuclear football in Pakistan now?
Posted by: 0369_Grunt   2008-08-18 17:05  

#28  ethnic chinese rule Malaya, dude, Malays need special affirmative action to get jobs
Posted by: liberalhawk   2008-08-18 17:03  

#27  Unusosh Grundy1267

Malaysia can't even park a bicycle you runtling...

LMAO! Our WEB SITE has more character than your entire dysfunctional country!!

Rantburg Rules!!!

~:)
Posted by: Red Dawg   2008-08-18 16:57  

#26  Fuck You Back Spike Pheatch3681,

Malasia rules the olde turds in my outhouse!

How about all that earthquake aid we sent you Spike Pheatch3681? Did you steal it from the poor?

LOL thanks for nothing eh!!
Posted by: Red Dawg   2008-08-18 16:52  

#25  Hasn't gotten through TSA?
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2008-08-18 15:32  

#24  It doesn't look like he has left the country
Posted by: john frum   2008-08-18 15:26  

#23  Musharraf has stepped down, but his toupé is staying on the job until a new President is found.
Posted by: Sleepmaster Thremble   2008-08-18 15:19  

#22  Prediction: He'll be back in power in 18 to 24 months, just as soon as the country is starting to be really devoured by the monster it created.
Posted by: Butch Ulomp8721   2008-08-18 12:35  

#21  Funny that Saudi Arabia won't take him. He did manage the aftermath to the 9/11 attacks pretty well, such that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia are paved with trinitite.
Posted by: Abdominal Snowman   2008-08-18 11:43  

#20  Tel Aviv. This is the man who, shock, horror between turbans, decided to shake hands with the Israeli PM much to the surprise of the PM.

Just dreaming. Half the jihadis in the world would have herat ttacks so we would only need to kill the other half.
Posted by: JFM   2008-08-18 11:36  

#19  lol! at # 18, good idea though. Too hard to secure him there.

He did a deeply good thing at ONE time, in Sept 2001. While its not clear he had many real options, I remain grateful. OTOH he was clearly on the way out for a long time, and we need not forget how early he started working with the MMA.

Whether they will want him back, I dont know. Trend in Pakistan is when the civies get too corrupt, to want a NEW military dictator, not an old one. Hope springs eternal.

Where should he go. I dunno, how much trouble is pakistan gonna make for whoever takes him in? Clearly folks expect SOME, or US could have and should have taken him. Nominally we owe him more than most people.

In terms of security, his best best is probably China. Hes never particularly done anything to anger them. Only obstacle would be if Paki govt really makes a stink to the Chinese about it. I dont know Paki govt has much leverage on China though.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2008-08-18 11:31  

#18  If all else fails, his old family home in Delhi is still there
Posted by: john frum   2008-08-18 11:18  

#17  Canada.

He'll come here, demand "Rufugee Status" and be accepted into the country while his claim is investigated for the next twenty years and I'll have to pay for all the goodies he will be given.
Posted by: Canuckistan sniper   2008-08-18 11:12  

#16  Perv was actually better leadership than the Paks deserved, which isn't saying much at all.
Posted by: Fred   2008-08-18 11:08  

#15  I always figured he'd end up in London. Must be tough trying to run a country full of nut cases.
Posted by: treo   2008-08-18 10:46  

#14  The Saud royals have announced he cannot stay there.
Posted by: lotp   2008-08-18 10:24  

#13  The worst Muslin dictators, like Idi Amin, go to Saudi. The bad dictators go to Paris The moderate dictators go to South America, except for Fujimoro, an odd case.

The US is pretty out of the question, because of our insane profusion of lawyers.

Perv has some new opportunities that he might consider, depending on how internationally comfortable he is. Christian Ethiopia, perhaps Mexico, northeastern Europe.

Much depends on how much money he brings with him.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2008-08-18 10:06  

#12  Greensburg Kansas
Posted by: bman   2008-08-18 10:05  

#11  London. Former President General (ret'd) Dr. Musharref likely doesn't speak French. Malaysia and Indonesia have too many crazy jihadis. Why, in Malaysia they're teaching the programming students to carry out cyberjihad, or so I've been told.
Posted by: trailing wife    2008-08-18 10:03  

#10  Uraguay.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2008-08-18 10:02  

#9  London

Sweepstakes anyone ?
Posted by: Mad Eye   2008-08-18 09:45  

#8  Malaysia or Indonesia would be my guess.
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2008-08-18 09:41  

#7  In the days after 9/11, my mom and I watched Perv on teevee, convinced we were watching a dead man walking.

I'm not convinced that the Soddy safehouse will be all that safe for the man who attacked and shut down the Lal Masjid.
Posted by: Seafarious   2008-08-18 09:34  

#6  Within three years, Pakistan will be longing for his leadership.

He was only modestly corrupt and minimally oppressive. The economy grew at somewhere between 5% and 10% a year during his administration and inflation was between 4% and 9%.

Given the tribal, sectarian and Islamist influences in this country, I don't think an objective person could be too critical of this fellow (and I think most educated Pakistanis living in the US would agree).
Posted by: mhw   2008-08-18 08:39  

#5  Here we go. Hang on to your butts, this could get rocky.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-08-18 08:18  

#4  He has left Pakistan.

A Saudi aircraft has been on the tarmac at Rawalpindi for two days. He will stay there for a while but needs a long term home.

Royal Saudi 'No' to Musharraf for refuge
Monday, 18 August , 2008, 12:40

Islamabad: After the US refused to offer Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf an asylum after being ousted, or stepping down, the Presidential camp in Rawalpindi got another setback when Saudi Arabia also refused to extend him a long stay in JeddahÂ’s Al-Saroor Palace.

This is the same palace where former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif spent seven years after being thrown out by Musharraf in a military coup in October 1999.

If sources are to be believed, the Saudis do not want to convert the Al-Saroor Palace into the Guantanamo Bay of exiled Pakistani leaders, though Musharraf has been offered with a dignified route for travelling to another destination. “But not a permanent stay in the Saudi Kingdom,” said the sources.

Presently, the Palace is lying vacant.

Interestingly, earlier Saudi Arabia had provided shelter to Ugandan military dictator for about 16 years with his 60 children and four wives when he was ousted from his country after a coup. He had his last breath in the Saudi Kingdom.
Posted by: john frum   2008-08-18 08:16  

#3  Considering the various attempts on his life already , if I was him , I would leave Pakistan very quickly and move to somewhere less volatile . Maybe America , I reckon .

I definitely will look forward to reading his memoirs ,if he gets to write them
Posted by: Mad Eye   2008-08-18 08:10  

#2  This is not the end of the beginning, but it may be the beginning of the end. I can't see anything but a battle for Pakistan on the horizon.
Posted by: wxjames   2008-08-18 07:56  

#1  Steps down? How about pushed...
Posted by: Spot   2008-08-18 07:54  

00:00