August 20, 2008	Wednesday	Sha’aban 17, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: Former President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday denied reports that he was going abroad and was planning to settle in another country and insisted that he had resigned “in the best national interest”.

According to a private TV channel and some sources in the capital, Gen (retd) Musharraf described as baseless media reports that after performing Umra he would move to the United States where his son ran a well-established business.

He was talking to a delegation which called on him at the President’s Lodge in Rawalpindi. However, the TV channel did not say which delegation had called on the former president.

Meanwhile, analysts said that Mr Musharraf’s resignation resulted from a ‘deal’ with the ruling coalition that ensured a ‘safe passage’ in return for a promise not to restore the deposed judge or to repeal the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) before announcing his resignation.

“We had advised the president to reinstate deposed judges and revoke NRO before tendering his resignation but he avoided the steps because he thought that these could destabilise the country,” a PML-Q leader said.

However, Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Farooq H. Naek rejected reports that Gen (retd) Musharraf had resigned under a deal with the government. “No, there is no deal. The former president resigned of his own will. Today,” said the minister.

When asked whether the government would make public the charge-sheet against the former president, Mr Naek said the charge-sheet had been drawn to impeach the former president. But since he had resigned, “it is meaningless”.