AMID tight security, the Pakistan Army has begun preparations for a ceremony, expected to take place within 48 hours, in which President Pervez Musharraf will formally step down as Army Chief and his hand-picked deputy will assume the post.The ceremony at the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi is expected to be held “within the next 48 hours” and Musharraf will take oath as a civilian President, Dawn News channel quoted military sources as saying on Monday.Attorney General Malik Qayyum has said Musharraf will give up his army uniform and take oath for a second presidential term on Thursday.Musharraf is expected to step down as Army Chief and hand over charge to Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani on November 28. Last month, Musharraf appointed Kiyani, a former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, as the Vice-Chief of the Army.Musharraf will also chair a meeting of the corps commanders before stepping down as Army Chief. The President’s security will remain with the military even after he quits the Army Chief’s post. An elite Special Service Group unit headed by a brigadier will be responsible for guarding Musharraf, the military sources said.
