Leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition government are meeting in Islamabad, a
day after they successfully pressured President Pervez Musharraf to resign from
office. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that it appears the leaders
are not considering prosecuting the former president for alleged crimes he
committed while in office.
Last week, when political opponents of
the former president said they were drawing up a long list of impeachable crimes
he allegedly committed while in office, several political factions indicated
they would drop future criminal prosecutions if the president resigned.
On Tuesday, as he headed into talks with other coalition leaders in Islamabad, Nawaz Sharif struck a soft tone when he was asked about putting his longtime political opponent on trial. He says it is not a personal issue for him and it does not mean that the person who ousted him should face the same fate.
Although no officials have confirmed Pervez Musharraf left office as part of a deal guaranteeing he would not be prosecuted, there is a widespread belief that legal immunity was one of his key demands for stepping down.
The coalition talks in Islamabad Tuesday are mainly expected to focus on choosing the country's next president and what to do about the senior judges that the former president deposed, last year.