AP
Rawalpindi, Nov 15: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday said he expects to step down as Army chief by end-November and begin a new Presidential term as a civilian, warning that the country risked chaos if he gave into opposition demands to resign.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the military ruler accused former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, currently under house arrest, of fuelling political turmoil, and rejected western pressure to quickly lift emergency rule, which he indicated was likely to continue through January elections.
"All those who are blunt enough to tell me to my face what the reality is, all of them think, yes, it will lead the country to chaos if I do not handle the political environment now with me remaining as the President," he said at his Army office.