Writing on the wall

THE Presidency yet again is attracting a lot of attention. In one way, it is the rumour factory churning out numerous stories to the effect that the President plans to step down in a few days. But the President was quick to refute these claims as malicious, and purveyed by those who wanted political instability in the country. He was right in saying that he did not believe in confrontation, rather he was all for a reconciliatory approach. Of course, as things stand today, particularly the precarious scenario created by a crippled economy and the volatile law and order situation in our tribal areas, it is political unrest that should be avoided. But that said, and putting aside all sorts of rumours, the fact remains that this time around, the political pressure on General Musharraf to resign is unprecedented. Most notably, it has been coming from circles which earlier were not so hostile to him. On that score, it would not be totally out of place to rule out the fact that he is not merely startled by a jack in the box. Of late, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who earlier described the President as a 'relic of the past', has now been very much vocal in his criticism, saying that he was against the status quo.