As the Gilani government prepares to clip his wings, embattled President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday made it clear that he has no plans to resign or go into exile and will not become a "useless vegetable".
"I am not going to resign. I will remain in Pakistan. Rumours about my resignations are rubbish," he said in his first interaction with the media after the new government assumed office in March.
"I cannot become a useless vegetable and I can't be witness to the downfall of the state," the 64-year-old former military ruler told a select group of senior Pakistani journalists, adding that he had no plans whatsoever to leave the country.
Trying at the same time to reach out to the Pakistan People's Party-led coalition government, Musharraf said he believed in "forgiving and patching up" and did not want any confrontation with it.
"I haven't done a single confrontationist act. I believe in forgiving and patching up," he said, adding the presidency was not hatching any conspiracy against the government.
Significantly, Musharraf chose to speak to the media on a day when Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the top political leadership were out of Pakistan.
Musharraf said he would accept the Parliament's decision on reinstating judges sacked by him during last year's emergency.
"I am an elected President of Pakistan under the Constitution. I will judge if I have any value in the country," he said.
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