The New Nation - Internet Edition

Agencies

President Musharraf is contemplating a swift exit from office rather than the ignominy of being forced out by the winning coalition, according to unnamed aides quoted in the British press ( Watch ).

A "close confidante" of the embattled president is quoted in The Sunday Telegraph to say Musharraf now believed he had run out of options and was pondering an exit strategy.

He said, sketching out a notional timeline that will be carefully watched in Western capitals, "I think it is now just a matter of days and not months because he would like to make a graceful exit on a high."

Musharraf is said to be keen to avoid a power-struggle, which may be inevitable considering the newly-elected parliament is chock full of members implacably opposed to him and theoretically capable of cobbling together a two-thirds majority to impeach him and remove him from office.

His aide said, in what many believe to be an attempt to burnish Musharraf's description of himself as a democrat at heart that the President "may have made many mistakes, but he genuinely tried to build the country and he doesn't want to destroy it just for the sake of his personal office".

The remarks are surprising because Musharraf's official spokesman insisted just days ago that he would serve out his full term and leave office only in 2012. The spokesman stressed that the President saw the February 18 elections for what they were - a parliamentary rather than a presidential poll - and was keen to work with the victorious coalition.The report said Musharraf had considered resigning immediately after the election results were known, but had been persuaded by party loyalists that this could precipitate a crisis. Taliban militants said Sunday they were ready for peace talks with Pakistan's new government, but only if it rejects President Pervez Musharraf's "war on terror" in the country's tribal belt.

A rebel spokesman quoted Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud-accused by Musharraf of masterminding the slaying of ex-PM Benazir Bhutto-as calling for negotiations with parties that beat the president's allies in elections. The announcement comes amid US concerns about Islamabad's commitment against extremists, following Monday's victory by Bhutto's opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the party of former premier Nawaz Sharif.

"The Taliban movement welcomes the victory of anti-Musharraf political partiest and announces its willingness to enter into negotiations with them for bringing peace," Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar said, quoting a statement by Mehsud.

"Taliban are ready for negotiations with the political parties as long as they do not re-impose war on them. If they do so, then Taliban will continue their activities against them," Omar told journalists in Peshawar by telephone.

He urged the new administration to "avoid repeating the mistakes of Musharraf government". Omar says he is a spokesman for Taliban groups operating in the tribal areas but there is no way to independently verify his claim.

Musharraf's regime swung between peace deals and negotiations with the militants-which were criticised by Western allies-and all-out military offensives in the lawless tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

The PPP and Sharif's party agreed on Thursday to form a coalition but are still hammering out their policies on the future of Musharraf, a key US ally, and on how they will deal with mounting Islamic extremism.

In fresh violence on Sunday, three security personnel and one militant were killed after dozens of rebels attacked a security post Sunday near Peshawar.

Another militant was shot dead after wounding three troops with a grenade in the tribal region of North Waziristan, officials said.

Hundreds of people have died in months of clashes with Taliban militants in Pakistan, and the country has been hit by a wave of suicide attacks over the past year.

The most high-profile bombing killed Bhutto at a political rally on December 27. The Pakistani government said Mehsud orchestrated the killing and accused him of links to Al-Qaeda, but he has denied all involvement.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party responded to the Taliban statement by saying that political and economic solutions were needed to deal with extremism.

"Our stance is that General Musharraf has mishandled the situation to stay in power. We feel that if Musharraf steps down, half of the terrorism would end," party spokesman Ahsan Iqbal told AFP.

If a PPP-led coalition manages to muster a two-thirds majority in parliament, it could seek to remove Musharraf, either by impeaching him or having his election as president last year declared illegal.

The PPP said Sunday it was considering working with the Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which was part of the pro-Musharraf coalition that ruled from 2002 to 2007.

"The Pakistan People's Party wants to take all political forces along to form the government and is discussing the possibility of cooperating with the MQM," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

He said there were different opinions within the party and "nothing has been finalised."

While Sharif is pressing for Musharraf's ouster, the PPP is more coy on its plans for the president, whose popularity has slumped as basic commodity prices soar and Islamist violence intensifies.

"You cannot impeach him right now because you don't have two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and the Senate. Since we cannot do it now, there is no need to say anything about it," Babar said. Pakistan Taliban warn new government to keep clear