The Financial Times leans on a member of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s inner circle and government officials in breaking this story. More:

“A senior officer in Mr MusharrafÂ’s camp on Thursday conceded that he had decided to step down to avoid a parliamentary impeachment that was likely to begin on Monday.


A senior Pakistani government official said that a deal had been brokered between president Musharraf and members of the newly elected coalition government, with the army playing a key role in the agreement.


‘The president will neither be impeached nor prosecuted on any charges. He will try and stay in Pakistan,’ said the official.”

A big question looms, though, about the larger situation in Pakistan: Who will really be able to lead? The coalition factions led by Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardawi have already had one big falling out, and a power vacuum would open the door for extremist Islamist elements to gain a greater foothold.