President Pervez Musharraf has dismissed the possibility of being impeached for holding power "unconstitutionally" if the opposition came to power in the February polls, insisting "I was elected according to the constitution of Pakistan".
Even as President Musharraf agreed that he could be removed from power by a two-thirds parliamentary majority, he made it clear that if the opposition formed the government after the crucial polls, they would be unable to impeach him
on the ground that he held power unconstitutionally.
"I don't care whether they like or not. I follow the Constitution of Pakistan and I was elected according to the constitution of Pakistan. Anybody who says it was not done constitutionally is absolutely wrong," Musharraf told Financial Times of Britain in an interview.
The former army chief said he was prepared to work with a prime minister of the Pakistan People's Party, whose leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated last month, or former premier Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
"I have no choice. According to the Constitution, the president has certain powers, but the government is run by the prime minister of Pakistan," he told the daily at the Davos World Economic Forum.
At the same time, the President slammed the retired generals who earlier this week demanded his resignation as he had lost the confidence of Pakistani people.
"They are insignificant personalities," Musharraf said, adding "Most of them are ones who served under me and I kicked them out ... They are insignificant. I am not even bothered by them."
However, Musharraf acknowledged that opinion polls had shown a significant decline in public support for him.
"I know that my popularity has reduced," the president said, but argued that he could ride out the current political turmoil in the country.