Pakistan's ruling coalition may start its impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf next week, said Information Minister Sherry Rehman on Tuesday.
"When we move our resolution in the joint sitting of parliament next week we will have more votes than we need to impeach the President," Sherry Rehman told reporters in Islamabad.
The ruling coalition parties on Thursday announced that they would launch impeachment against the president.
The provincial assembly in North West Frontier Province on Tuesday passed a resolution, demanding Musharraf take a vote of confidence in the parliament.
A similar resolution was also passed in the provincial assembly of eastern Pakistan Punjab province. The other two provinces are expected to pass the resolution this week.
Though the resolution has no constitutional weight, it will impose moral pressure on Musharraf to resign before a formal impeachment is tabled in the parliament.
However, presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi has earlier denied Musharraf's resignation, saying the allegations against Musharraf are baseless.
The coalition needs a two-thirds majority votes in a joint session of upper and lower houses.
According to the Constitution, not less than half of the total membership of either the National Assembly or Senate will first submit a written notice about a resolution to impeach the president.
Then the National Assembly speaker will, within three days of its receipt, transmit a copy of the notice to the president, and convene the joint session of both houses not earlier than seven days and not later than 14 days.
The president has the right to be present in the parliament when the joint sitting begins investigation into the charges upon which the notice is founded. But the president will cease to hold office immediately after a resolution of impeachment is passed based on results of the investigation.
Source:Xinhua
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