Musharraf flying to Saudia after resignation?

from Islamaad Sumera Saeed writes

As a pitched political battle rages on between embattled President Musharraf and ruling alliance of the country, Saudis seems to have extended an olive branch to all sides by assuring a safe palace for Pervaiz Musharraf in Riyadh and decision in this regard is likely to be taken by President Musharraf within next 48 hours.

Informed sources confided with this scribe that intelligence chief of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Muqarran had to fly to Pakistani capital Islamabad and spent more than three hours meeting with President Musharraf, intelligence chiefs and some political big wigs to sort out the political mess in Pakistan. Highly placed sources are of the view that Saudis have been asked to interfere by the Americans and British envoys because neither of the two western allies of Musharraf seems willing to take the beleaguered President to their soil for fear of al-Qaeda attacks. President Musharraf has survived three life attempts and is high on the hit list of al-Qaeda and other religious groups for helping the Americans in their war on terror and handing over dozens of wanted men and women from Pakistan to American authorities in lieu of hefty sums of money.

Earlier the head of British intelligence, Mark Lyle Grant who has also served in Pakistan as high commissioner spent five days in Pakistan meeting heads of the parties of coalition government in Islamabad and Lahore besides calling on President Musharraf. He has been instrumental in softening the stance of PML (N) leader Nawaz Sharif towards President Musharraf’s accountability by assuring that President would quit without staging any upset in politics. Following his efforts PML (N) leader Raja Zafarul Haq confirmed on record that four-party coalition government had agreed to give a safe-passage to President Musharraf on the assurance that he would resign on the Independence Day (August 14). But that matter seems to be stuck on the point that President Musharraf wished to stay in Islamabad and wanted the government to provide him a head of the state level security after resigning from the office of the President. Though Mark Lyle had left for Britain but following a deadlock on the issue of leaving or staying in the country with top security arrangements, Saudis were asked to jump into the arena and ask the President Musharraf to be their guest in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, sources within the army believe that though chief of army staff, Gen. Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani and all his crop commanders has made it a point to stay away from the political mess but certain quarters within the army still believe that President Musharraf might create some upset before quitting. While referring towards the use of atomic clause of the constitution 58 (2) (b) which empowers the President to dissolve the assemblies and issue a call for new elections, army sources claim that president might also retrieve the infamous National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and might also restore all the judges whom he sacked on 3^rd of November 2007. The sources say that knowing the President, they can say that he would fight till the last.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of President Musharraf, Rashid Qureshi has denied a meeting of Prince Muqarran with the President and claimed that efforts of rapprochement between the President and the ruling collation partners are going on. He reiterated that President Musharraf do not want to resign or leave the country and instead would face the impeachment move. But sources within Q league, the opposition party siding with Musharraf confirmed the arrival and meeting of Saudi intelligence chief and were hopeful that a settlement would be reached soon.