“After his speech, Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf met with his former friends and benefactors, took a salute of honour and quickly repaired to his official abode in Rawalpindi in an unflagged car. The likelihood is that he will stay here quietly for some days before taking a flight out of the country, probably on the pretext of Umra to Saudi Arabia. I don’t think the Zardari regime will create any obstacles in his physical exit, even as Mr Sharif’s spokesmen continue to bay for his blood as a matter of popular pressure tactics on Mr Zardari to concede their other demands.
“Their first demand is the restoration of the judges, including Iftikhar Chaudhry. In this they will have the support of the lawyers movement and most of the media. But I don’t think Mr Zardari will succumb to this demand quickly. Instead, he is likely to reiterate his position that there should be a constitutional amendment covering the restoration of the judges, ousting of the president’s power under 58-2B and indemnifying the Musharraf era which included the NRO and the current Supreme Court headed by Justice Hameed Dogar. This will lead to another round of uncertainty which throws the country into a spin again.” The Daily Times