Mush accuses Sharif of vendetta, vows to "expose" govt

Islamabad, Aug 13 (PTI) Bracing for an impeachment motion, President Pervez Musharraf has told his loyalists that he has "sufficient" evidence to "expose" the ruling coalition and accused Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) P.M.L.-N chief Nawaz Sharif, whom he deposed in a 1999 coup, of carrying out personal vendetta against him.

Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi said that Musharraf
did not want to respond to "wild allegations" being levelled
against him through the media and would defend himself after
receiving the chargesheet being framed by the ruling
coalition.

The statement came after ruling Pakistan People's Party
chief accused Musharraf of "misappropriating" a whopping USD
700 million of US anti-terror aid.

Musharraf Tuesday met leaders of his ally Pakistan Muslim
League (Quaid-e-Azam) P.M.L.(Q), which lost the February 18
elections, for the third time in four days to discuss the
situation arising out of the impeachment move.

Musharraf dismissed as rubbish allegations of
misappropriation of US military assistance levelled against
him by Zardari, saying that pocketing foreign aid by an
individual is not possible because it was utilised under a
system.

Party resident Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry
Pervaiz Elahi, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly,
briefed the President on their efforts for mobilising support
for him and urged him not to resign without fighting, sources
were quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Musharraf also said that he has "sufficient official
records" to expose the failures of the four-month old ruling
coalition.

After meeting Musharraf, three P.M.L.(Q) lawmakers
told reporters that the President had criticised Sharif for a
"personal vendetta" against him.

Musharraf accused Sharif of pitting the P.P.P. leadership
against him to fulfil his designs. The P.M.L.-N leader has
been pressing the P.P.P. to move for Musharraf's impeachment
by threatening to withdraw support on the issue.

They said the President had accused the coalition
government of trying to cut the size of the army by half. He
said he had also opposed a move to replace the chief of the
Inter-Services Intelligence.

The P.M.L.-Q leaders said Musharraf had sought
information about the corruption committed by various
officials of the government over the past four months.

Musharraf assured his supporters that he would not
disappoint them and confront his detractors and expose them
before the nation. PTI RHL