Islamabad: Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf has reportedly decided to quit as Chief of Army and run for re-election as a civilian, a prominent politician of the ruling alliance has claimed.
But, Gen Musharraf declined to say anything specific on the issue in an interview to Aaj TV on Friday night. He said he would "cross the bridge" when he reaches there.
Earlier, Japanese news agency Kyodo quoted a "prominent politician" in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) that Gen Musharraf has decided to quit uniform and seek re-election as a civilian.
"I will take oath of President as a civilian," the politician, who met Gen Musharraf more than once during the last fortnight, quoted him as saying, the news agency reported setting off speculation about him in a surcharged political crisis triggered by the suspension of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikar M Chaudhry.
Asked specifically whether he would firmly say that he would not continue in his uniform after this year, Musharraf told the TV channel, "We will cross the bridge when we reach it... But my bottomline is that I will not violate the Constitution of Pakistan."
He also emphatically ruled out the return of exiled former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to the country before the general elections due by the year-end.
"No, they (Benazir and Nawaz) cannot return before the elections," Gen Musharraf said in response to a question, adding that the issue could be discussed after the elections.
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