Effort to impeach Pervez Musharraf

On November 3, 2007, President and then-Chief of the Army Staff Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency, postponing indefinitely the elections for the National Assembly of Pakistan that were initially scheduled to take place on January 8, 2008.

[2] This action, combined with a broad-based pro-democracy movement occurring in Pakistan at the time, led to a precipitous fall in Musharraf's popularity.

Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif announced that the two parties would be sending a joint request asking that Musharraf step down, and that they would impeach him through the parliamentary process if he refused.

"[4] Upon hearing the news, Musharraf delayed his departure for the Beijing Olympics by a day,[5] and it was later announced that he would be replaced at the opening ceremonies by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

"[8] To impeach Musharraf, the ruling coalition would have needed a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, and it was not certain that they control the required number of votes.

[9] Musharraf had the option to fight his impeachment by dissolving parliament, although doing so could cause a backlash, and he would likely need the support of Pakistan's army to be successful.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Musharraf must resign to avoid being impeached "by today or tomorrow, as there is no room for any delay".

Musharraf stated he would stay in Pakistan in a house he was building in an exclusive enclave in Islamabad near a golf club.

In an emotional 1 hour speech, Musharraf raised his clenched fists to chest height, and said, "Long live Pakistan!"

"[19] The British Daily Telegraph reported an unnamed Western diplomat as saying that, after a pilgrimage to Mecca, Musharraf might settle in London.