PAKISTAN: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will stay on as chief of the army staff beyond the date he promised to give up the post, the Information Minister said yesterday.
Mr Musharraf, a key ally in President Bush's "war on terror", had previously promised to stand down as army chief by December 31st, 2004 in a deal with hardline Islamic opponents in which they allowed the passage of legislation through parliament that enhanced Mr Musharraf's presidential powers.
"The President has decided to keep both offices of the President and the army chief beyond December 31st," Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said.
The Minister did not offer specific details as to why the President had decided to hold on to the position. "He has to take many important decisions. . .war on terror is of course an important issue."
Mr Musharraf took power in a bloodless 1999 coup and was long treated as a pariah by the West. His standing in the international community improved when he emerged as a staunch US ally after the September 11th, 2001 attacks, helping US forces find members of Afghanistan's former Taliban government and al-Qaeda militants.
His decision is likely to infuriate his hardline Islamic and secular opponents in Pakistan's Parliament.