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Violence flares amid Pakistan upheaval

Leaders of Pakistan’s ruling coalition met yesterday to discuss who should succeed former president Pervez Musharraf, while a bombing outside a hospital and clashes with militants killed dozens and underscored the challenges facing the country.

Musharraf resigned on Monday in the face of impeachment threats from the government, which is packed with his foes. He was believed to be in his tightly guarded residence on the outskirts of Islamabad. His future was on the agenda for the meeting.

How the coalition deals with succession — and whether it leads to a power struggle — is a looming question at a critical time. The militant threat is spreading in the northwest, but the country also faces soaring inflation, chronic power shortages and a host of other economic problems.

Law Minister Farooq Naek said yesterday that the government had not struck an immunity deal with Musharraf, though supporters and foes suggested he had sought guarantees that he would not face criminal prosecution or be forced into exile.

“There is no deal with the president, and he had himself resigned,” Naek told reporters.

Musharraf did not specify his plans during his emotional resignation speech on Monday, saying only that his future was in the hands of the people. But local media reports have suggested he might leave the country for security reasons.

Pakistan’s president is elected by lawmakers, a process that is supposed to be completed within 30 days.

Meanwhile, police said yesterday that security forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery pounded targeted insurgents in the the Bajur tribal region, killing 11 suspected militants and five civilians over a 24-hour period.

Separately, government official Jamil Khan said 13 militants and five paramilitary troops died yesterday in a clash at a fort in the Nawagai area of Bajur.

Another 23 people were killed and 15 wounded in violence that officials said appeared to be sectarian — a bombing outside the emergency gate of a hospital crowded with Shiite Muslim mourners.
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