May 31, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 30: Former minister Senator Nisar A. Memon has denied reports that President Pervez Musharraf is stepping down and termed such rumours part of conspiracies being hatched ‘against Pakistan’s solidarity for a couple of years’.

Addressing a news conference here on Friday, Mr Memon said he knew the sources which were spreading the rumours to destabilise the country. He said their names would be disclosed at an appropriate time.

Mr Memon has been defending the president since the ouster of the Nawaz government in October 1999.

He said that instead of solving people’s basic problems, the coalition government was stuck with the ‘constitutional package’ and non-issues.

He accused ‘some individuals’ of playing into the hands of forces who wanted to create instability and advance their own agenda.

He said the PML-Q would defend President Musharraf if any move was made to impeach him, adding that the rulers were making contradictory claims about having sufficient strength in parliament to impeach the president.

About reports in some newspapers that a Turkish plane had landed at Chaklala airport to take President Musharraf and his family out of the country, Mr Memon said that instead of going into exile, the president would remain in the country and face the situation.

Mr Memon claimed that President Musharraf kept every promise he had made with the nation, but evaded answering a question about a statement by the president that he would quit if the people of Pakistan voted against him in February 18 polls.

He said that Pakistan’s image abroad had improved because of President Musharraf’s foreign policy and urged the government to continue it.

Mr Memon, who is also chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, said the committee’s meeting had been postponed last week at the request of Leader of the House Mian Raza Rabbani.