Pakistan - President resigns

(2 Dec 1997) T/I: 11:04:08


Pakistan's President Farooq Ahmed Leghari resigned Tuesday (02/12), giving way to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the country's political turmoil deepened. Leghari told a press conference he was giving up to uphold the supremacy of the constitution and rule of law. His five year
term was due to end in November next year.

SHOWS:

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, 2/12
Convoy of vehicles,
supreme court,
police officers outside the entrance;
Guards check under cars with metal detector,
building surrounded by barbed wire;
SOT unidentified parliamentarian, in English, saying: "The whole part of the country supports the Sajjad Ali Shah and not anybody else. We only recognise the constitution of the benches by the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Sajjad Ali Shah is the only chief justice of Pakistan, no other body."
Scene outside Presidential Palace,
crowds outside gates;
Outgoing president Farooq Ahmed Leghari walks into press conference, sits at table;
SOT President Farooq Ahmed Leghari, in English, saying: "The President of Pakistan, under the constitution of Pakistan has no option but to sign that kind of summary. I can delay it for a few days maybe, but I have to sign it. I have no option. I will not exercise that option because I hold certain principles and I hold the constiution above self-interest and therefore I have decided to resign from the office of the President of Pakistan. Soon after this press conference I shall go down to my office and I shall submit my resignation as enjoined by law. I would like to repeat that when I took office as President of Pakistan
I pledged to protect and defend and uphold the constitution of Pakistan and today I leave that office in defence of that oath and to uphold the consitution of Pakistan. (JUMPCUT) If the Supreme Court Bar Association and other bar associations could be helpful in getting an agreement yesterday, why could not the same have been done earlier? I maintain that it could have been done. If I wanted to conspire against him I would have let him go on, mistake after mistake after mistake, and at the end of it pull the rug from under his feet. But I've never been a conspirator and I take exception to this charge. Because my
whole record has been to the country, my whole record has been an open book and I'm proud of it."
Leghari walks down corridor surrounded by media,
Leghari refusing to answer further media questions;

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