PAKISTAN:Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf, who is under mounting pressure to resign, called yesterday for political stability and reconciliation to tackle economic and security problems.
Mr Musharraf, speaking in an televised Independence Day address, did not refer to a plan to impeach him drawn up by a coalition government led by the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The former army chief and firm US ally also did not refer to the calls for him to step down.
"If we want to put our economy on the right track and fight terrorism then we need political stability. Unless we bring political stability, I think we can't fight them properly," Musharraf said.
"Political stability, in my view, can only be brought through a reconciliation approach as opposed to confrontation," he said. "This is the need of the hour." Mr Musharraf has been at the centre of a political crisis since early last year that has raised fears among the US and its allies for the stability of the nuclear-armed Muslim country, which is also a hiding place for al-Qaeda leaders.
Speculation has been rife that Mr Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, would quit rather than face impeachment.
A growing number of politicians across the country, including some old allies, have been calling on him to face a vote of confidence or be impeached.
The prospect of a showdown is unnerving investors. Security worries are compounding the gloom. - ( Reuters)