August 20, 2008	Wednesday	Sha’aban 17, 1429

WASHINGTON, Aug 19: US President George W. Bush may soon call both Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the White House said on Tuesday.

While the State Department said that it would consider any asylum request from the former Pakistani president, spokesman Robert Wood, however, pointed out that so far Mr Musharraf had not sent any request for asylum.

At the White House, national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters that the US administration will stay engaged with Pakistan.

“I would expect the president will have phone calls with Pakistani officials in the near future. And we’ll keep you updated,” said Mr Johndroe when asked if President Bush had telephoned Mr Musharraf or Mr Gilani since the Pakistani leader’s resignation on Monday.

“I, you know, would expect that the president will have high-level contact with the Pakistani authorities, you know, in the near future,” he added.

Mr Johndroe declined to comment directly on reports that Mr Musharraf might seek asylum in the United States, saying he was unaware of any such request from the Pakistani leader.

“As far as President Musharraf’s location, where he will eventually live, that’s a matter for him and the Pakistanis to deal with,” he said.

The State Department was more specific, saying that it would study any application Mr Musharraf sends for asylum.

“We haven’t been asked to provide him with any asylum or place of residence,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

“If he chooses to take up residence somewhere, I mean if he were to request that, we would obviously look at it, but it’s not an issue that we’ve been approached with,” Mr Wood explained.

The comments by the White House and the State Department follow reports in the US media that the coalition government in Islamabad was going ahead with the impeachment proceedings despite Mr Musharraf’s resignation.

The reports claimed that Mr Musharraf might be tried on charges of violating the Constitution twice, in 1999 and on Nov. 3, 2007.

The US media speculated that this might force Mr Musharraf to leave Pakistan soon.

The reports named the United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, UAE and Turkey among the countries where Mr Musharraf may want to live if he leaves Pakistan.

The reports quoted Pakistani officials as saying that Mr Musharraf may soon go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

He would then head for London or Turkey.