Musharraf gets Senate nod

It was passed by a voice vote in the Senate, or upper house, amid noisy protests from the Opposition. It calls for the President to be allowed to hold two offices to facilitate the war on terror and safeguard Pakistan’s territorial integrity.

Under a deal last year with the Muttahida Majlis-E-Amal Islamic Opposition alliance, Musharraf pledged to stand down as Army Chief by December 31 in return for their support for constitutional changes that gave him sweeping powers to sack parliament and dismiss the government.

Musharraf has since dropped strong hints that he would renege on this promise, although he says he has not made a final decision.

Ruling party member S.M. Zafar, the main author of the constitutional amendments passed last December, has joined those critical of the dual-role Bill.

Zafar said that it was premature because Musharraf had not yet taken any decision on the issue. ‘‘The President has a rare chance to change the course of history,’’ he told the Senate. ‘‘He could do this by separating the office of the President and the Army Chief.’’

Musharraf has said giving up his role of Army Chief could undermine his authority in pressing home the US-led war on terror in Pakistan and in pushing forward a nascent peace process with nuclear-armed rival rival India.

The Opposition insists that Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup five years ago, should either resign as President or as Army Chief. It argues that the constitution forbids the President to retain two offices beyond December 31.

The Pakistan government says that the constitution simply states that the President cannot ‘‘benefit’’ from two offices, meaning that he could hold two as long as he does not draw two government salaries.

It was not immediately known when Musharraf would take up the Bill for his signature. Constitutional experts have said the Bill would not be binding on him, but would give him the scope to break his pledge. —Reuters