Musharraf might quit if Oppn comes to power: Aide

"Obviously, he (Musharraf) is not as strong as he was before," the unnamed source told The News daily.

After Musharraf doffed his military uniform in November, he had become a "simple president", the source said.

The presidential aide "conceded" that Musharraf might quit if the people vote for parties opposed to him, the daily said.

If "anti-Musharraf forces" came to power after the polls to the national and four provincial assemblies, the President would make "critical decisions", the source was quoted as saying.

Asked if Musharraf had devised any immediate "exit strategy" that might include a decision to step down before the polls, the aide said, "No, not at all."

The source also said the elections would be fair, free and independent and there would be no rigging as is being alleged by major opposition parties. "I can assure you that the elections would be the fairest in the history of Pakistan," the aide claimed.

Demands for Musharraf's resignation have been made by opposition parties and different segments of society, including the legal fraternity and even the influential Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society, which has twice asked the President to quit to usher in true democracy.

The presidential camp has shown no flexibility on the demand for reinstating the judges who were deposed during last year's Emergency rule but the aide said only a government which had a two-thirds majority in Parliament could undo the actions taken during the emergency.

The aide acknowledged that the emergency imposed on November 3 and actions thereafter were "done under extra-constitutional powers".

He insisted that those actions did not need indemnity from a two-thirds majority in the next parliament.

The aide admitted that over 50 judges of the superior judiciary were "sacked unconstitutionally" but argued that their reinstatement would require a two-thirds majority in the next parliament.

Musharraf himself has conceded that his act of imposing Emergency was extra-constitutional. Later, after the Supreme Court comprising judges who endorsed the Emergency validated Musharraf's controversial actions, the presidential camp and its legal aides contended that these actions did not need protection.

They also said amendments made to the constitution during the Emergency were now part of the constitution.