August 12, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 9, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday that “President Musharraf is standing alone today” because of his party’s political strategy while other leaders of the ruling coalition claimed that legislators belonging to the PPP (Sherpao) would support the move to impeach President Pervez Musharraf.

“We are constantly in contact with Mr (Aftab) Sherpao. We are hopeful that his party’s members in the NWFP Assembly and parliament will vote for the impeachment resolutions against President Musharraf,” said a PPP leader. A Pakistan Muslim League-N parliamentarian from the NWFP made a similar claim.

When contacted, Mr Sherpao, who served as interior minister in the previous set-up under President Musharraf, said his party would decide on Tuesday whether to support the resolution to be tabled in the NWFP assembly and the impeachment motion.

However, he said his party would vote for the success of democracy, indicating that its members might vote against the president.

Mr Sherpao confirmed that the coalition had been in contact with him at the federal and provincial level.

The PPP-S has four members in the National Assembly and the Senate, including Mr Sherpao who is its chief.

According to a handout, Mr Zardari presided over a meeting of PPP’s MPAs in the Sindh assembly and discussed the strategy for the success of the impeachment plan.

He said the decision to impeach the president had been taken after reaching a consensus and its timing was correct.

“Gen (retd) Musharraf is standing alone today due to our political strategies because we have succeeded in conveying our message to the international community that stability in Pakistan can only be possible through genuine democracy and not through dictatorship,” he said.

Mr Zardari criticised those who were blaming the PPP for delaying the impeachment of the president.

“Those who are blaming us for a delay in taking such steps have no idea about the current circumstances.”

The PPP leader said he had conveyed a message to Gen (retd) Musharraf two months back urging him to quit but he did not consider it and now he stood isolated.

“I am well aware that the nation has been facing other issues, including inflation and unemployment, for the past few years. Poor masses have expectations from us and we will succeed in coming up to their expectations. We will bring about positive changes in the lives of the poor as promised by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto,” he added.

Meanwhile, a committee preparing the draft of the charge-sheet against the president to be tabled in parliament for his impeachment continued its work on Monday.

Leader of the House in the Senate Raza Rabbani said the draft would be sent to the coalition leadership for approval in three to four days.

He said the committee would finalise the charge-sheet in the light of the recommendations of the leadership.