June 10, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 05, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 9: Brainstorming has begun in the ruling Pakistan People’s Party about a possible impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf amid mounting pressure from coalition partners and other groups.

Sources told Dawn on Monday senior PPP members had confirmed that a major group within the party favoured the impeachment of President Musharraf. The group had informed the party leadership that supporters and workers in their constituencies were unhappy due to an “unclear party stand” about the president’s fate.

Under the Constitution, the ruling coalition requires the support of 295 members during a joint sitting of the 442-member parliament (National Assembly and Senate combined) to impeach President Musharraf.

The PPP leaders claimed that they had the required numbers, but a motion would only be moved once the party was doubly sure of success.

Senator Farhatullah Babar, a PPP spokesman, said he personally believed that President Pervez Musharraf should not only be impeached, but he should also be tried for treason.

“We still want him (President Musharraf) to read the writing on the wall and resign instead of forcing the parliament to impeach him,” Mr Babar said, adding that he believed it was important to begin the process of punishing those who indulged in “constitutional corruption”.

“A lot has been spoken about punishing financial corruption and now a thought must be given to punishing constitutional corruption,” he said, in an allusion to President Musharraf’s acts of suspending the Constitution twice: in Oct 1999 and again in November last year.

In reply to a question whether the party had decided to impeach the president, Mr Babar said: “The party’s position on impeaching Musharraf is very clear. However, it is premature to talk publicly about the issue.”

He said the country would continue to face political problems as long as Gen (retd) Musharraf stayed in the Presidency.

Mr Babar’s comments came two days after President Pervez Musharraf dismissed speculations that he was about to resign or go into exile.

Last month, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, in an interview to an Indian news agency, had declared President Musharraf a stumbling block in the way of democracy.

“I am under tremendous pressure to oust President Pervez Musharraf from his office,” Mr Zardari had said the interview.