Islamabad abuzz with Musharraf exit rumor
NEW YORK, March 3, 11:10 AM -- After a meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and the army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, at the president's camp office earlier Monday, Islamabad is abuzz with rumors that the president has agreed to step down.
 News outlets in Pakistan and abroad received scores of calls from across the country, asking them to confirm if the president has indeed agreed to step down.
Pakistani media sources, however, say that they are unable to confirm the claim.
Since Feb. 18, when pro-Musharraf politicians were routed in the national elections, the president has been under tremendous pressure to step down.
But his spokesman, Maj. Gen. (retired) Rashid Qureshi told reporters earlier that all reports about President Musharraf stepping down were all baseless.
He said the Feb. 18 election was a parliamentary election and not a contest for the president's office.
The president, he said, has already been elected for the next five years and will serve his term.
Meanwhile, the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported that President Musharraf and Gen. Kiyani did discuss the current political situation in their meeting.
The President noted the role of the army in ensuring security during the general election. He appreciated the measures taken by the Pakistan Army in combating terrorism along the Pak-Afghan border, FATA and Swat, the report said.
Gen. Kiyani briefed the President about the ongoing operation against terrorism. "They also exchanged views on the role of the Pakistan Army in respect to internal security situation."
His visit to the army house where his ex-boss is lodged is reminiscent of Gen Musharraf's (then COAS & CEO) trip to the then President Rafiq Tarar's residence to give him the bad news, one analyst said.
More than 100 people have been killed in terrorist attacks since Friday, causing widespread alarm and fear across the country.
Gen Kayani has been taking steps to distance the army from politics ever since he accepted the army chief's baton from Musharraf.
President Musharraf lauded the professionalism and the sacrifices being rendered by Pakistan Army for defending the country from external and internal threats, the official report said.
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