Islamabad, June 15: Amidst opposition agitation against his constitutional amendments, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf begins a two week-long four-nation tour, including to US, tomorrow which is expected to focus on bilateral issues and the Indo-Pak peace initiative besides seeking international support to reinforce his power base at home. To shore up support for the president ahead of his visit, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) yesterday got a unanimous resolution ratified in the National Assembly reposing faith in his leadership, while the speaker of the house Amir Hussain ruled that the LFO issued by Musharraf before the polls was "valid" and "part" of the Constitution.

The LFO issue, however, appears set to follow Musharraf during his visit as the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mark Lyall Grant told reporters here yesterday that Britain would like to see the LFO controversy resolved amicably.
"We would like to see the question of the LFO resolved because clearly it is leading to a certain paralysis of the Parliament. If the issue of the LFO is resolved then the relations between the government and Parliament would be better and the Parliament would operate in a more effective way than it is at the moment," Grant said while briefing the media about the General's visit.

Musharraf would leave for Britain tomorrow to hold talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair on the Indo-Pak peace process as well as steps to enhance defence co-operation between UK and Pakistan.

From London, Musharraf would leave for Germany and then to Camp David on June 24 where he would be received by President George W Bush.
Bureau Report