Musharraf Ends an Era in Pakistan

Pakistan president relinquishes control of army; will anything change?

ByABC News
February 19, 2009, 6:52 AM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 28, 2007 — -- It was the end of an era for Pakistan and an emotional farewell from President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who stepped down as commander of the army today.

"After 46 years of being in uniform, today I say goodbye to the army," Musharraf told Pakistani officers and their wives. "I am sad to leave the army which has been like a family to me."

Wearing a khaki dress uniform, a sheath of medals and a sash with Pakistan's green and white colors, a dejected-looking Musharraf gave a final salute to the honor guard.

He then passed a ceremonial baton to his deputy Gen. Ashfaq Kayani.

Stepping down from the powerful position of army chief was a major concession for Musharraf, who will be sworn in Thursday for another five-year term as president, this time a civilian one.

Musharraf commanded this volatile, nuclear-armed Islamic nation for eight years after seizing power in a 1998 coup.

He has repeatedly claimed his power grab was in the best interests of Pakistan, which he steered through turbulent times after the Sept. 11 attacks. During his presidency he has received immense pressure from the West to turn against radical Islamic groups -- including the Taliban -- which Islamabad leadership had long nurtured.

But contrary to his stated policy to hunt down terrorists, extremists flourished during Musharraf's eight years in power, critics charge.

In recent months, officials in Washington have become concerned that while Musharraf was preoccupied by a widening political crisis, al Qaeda was regrouping in Pakistan's tribal areas and planning more attacks on the West.

In early November, Musharraf suspended the constitution, imposing de facto martial law, prompting violent protests.

Musharraf may have been sad to hang up his uniform, but few people in Pakistan shed a tear.

"I think many people have taken a sigh of relief today," Lt. Gen. Talat Massood, a former defense secretary, told ABC News.

But problems remain. The post Musharraf reluctantly handed to Kayani is as challenging as ever.

Just this week, the army launched a massive campaign to clear pro-Taliban insurgents from a scenic valley in Pakistan's northwest. With help from al Qaeda, analysts say, the insurgents have swept down from the Afghan border, taking control of significant swaths of territory.