Musharraf may quit after the address

Speculation over Prez Pervez Musharraf's resignation reached a feverish pitch with some officials saying he is likely to quit in the evening after addressing the nation.

Speculation over Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's resignation reached a feverish pitch on Monday with some officials saying he was likely to quit in the evening after addressing the nation in the afternoon and be sent to Saudi Arabia soon after.

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State run and private television channels and radio crews reached the president's camp office in nearby Rawalpindi to cover the address.

"So far there has been no decision (to allow the private channels) but there are fears that the government which is all out to impeach the president may hinder the address and to meet such a situation the private channels may be allowed," said an official source.

The talk is that soon after his resignation, the president who remained in power for almost nine years will fly to Saudi Arabia where he will stay for the rest of his life.

"An unmarked plane is present at the military airbase in nearby Rawalpindi," an official at the base told IANS.

However, the president's spokesperson Rashid Qureshi denied rumours that Musharraf would resign on Monday.