Musharraf under pressure

Islamabad, Pakistan

Members of President Pervez Musharraf’s own party are urging him to strike a deal with the opposition. Widespread protests over a bloody assault on protesters in Karachi last week, coupled with general outrage over Musharraf’s attempt to remove the country’s chief justice, have produced the most serious challenge to Musharraf since he took power in a military coup in 1999. “It’s the last thing you would want in an election year,” said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, general secretary of the ruling party. Musharraf wants the current parliament, dominated by his party, to re–elect him president this year. The opposition is calling for parliamentary elections first, which would enable the new legislature to pick the president.