Pervez Musharraf Steps Down as Pakistan’s Military Chief

Pervez Musharraf stepped down as Pakistan’s military chief on Wednesday, possibly ending planned boycott’s arranged by opposition leaders in January’s parliamentary elections.

Musharraf had held the position of military chief since he came into power, unseating Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999.

Before handing over command of the army to Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, Musharraf addressed his troops one last time stating “I’m proud of this army and I was lucky to have commanded the world’s best army. I will no longer command, but my heart and my mind will always be with you.”

The move came one day before Musharraf was scheduled to be sworn in as the civilian president. While the move to step down as military chief is seen as a positive, he is still facing pressure to lift a state of emergency that he imposed on Nov. 3.

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