ZARDARI : MUSH can't be Removed.....?!?!

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal published on Monday, Zardari said he wants a working relationship with President Musharraf.

"We want to unify the country, which is facing some very serious challenges. We have to establish democracy and for that, we need unity and not confrontation. The ground reality is, we don't have the two-thirds majority," he said.

In a Parliament of 342 seats, the votes of 228 members are needed to get Musharraf out.

But right now, there are 66 votes of the PML-N, 88 of Zardari's PPP, 10 of the Awami National Party and 19 of the MQM, which take it to 193 — still 35 votes short of the a two-thirds majority.

The Senate, Parliament's Upper House, remains in the control of Musharraf's supporters.

Zardari's comments, the Journal noted, are among the most conciliatory to date from a senior official of the coalition regarding its intended approach to Musharraf.

Sharif, on the other hand, has been vocal in his determination to get Musharraf out. And it remains to be seen how he feels about a "working relationship with Musharraf" that Zardari is advocating.

"Musharraf is an unconstitutional and unlawful President," Sharif has gone on record as saying.

Zardari's word, if that is indeed the last word on the issue, could well influence the ANP and the MQM. It could also give a lifeline to the King's party, the PML-Q, which is widely anticipating mass defection of its members to the Nawaz Sharif camp.

Zardari wants Parliament to decide on Musharraf's fate and the contentious issue of restoration of the sacked judges. But many in Pakistan feel he is doing what America wants, which is extending a lifeline to beleaguered Musharraf.

The PPP leader, in fact, hinted at this in as many words. He said his government would increase cooperation with the US. "We are fighting our own war on terror, rather than the American war on terror," he said.

Zardari said Pakistan faces its own threat from the extremists and vowed that his government wouldn't talk to the militants. It would, however, reach out to the people living in the tribal areas, he said.