Amid uncertainty over the fate of embattled Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, a top leader of the Awami National Party on Monday said the former military ruler has just two options left -- leave the country or face prosecution.
Pressing for Musharraf's ouster, Mohammad Hasham Babar, the secretary general of the party which is a part of the Pakistan People's Party-led ruling coalition, said the president has destroyed almost all the institutions in the country, including the judiciary, during his dictatorship.
"He has to go out. We do not want him. Whether he goes out of the country or he is prosecuted in the country, there are only two options," Babar told PTI in Delhi.
Asked whether Musharraf is going out of the country, Babar said: "I wish he goes away and his influence also goes away."
Former premier Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party has demanded that Musharraf be tried for treason even as ruling the PPP approved a proposed constitutional reforms package aimed at clipping the former military ruler's powers.
There was a buzz in political circles in Pakistan that Musharraf might opt to step down, but the president dismissed the reports as "malicious".
Babar was in Delhi to participate in an anti-terrorism conference.
Aghanistan as a major cause of concern, Babar said the new PPP-led government should initiate a political approach to find a solution to the problem.
"A political process is very important to find a solution," he said.
"We believe in non-violence. Force should not be the first option. There should be negotiation. We believe in Gandhian principles," he said.
Asked whether he favours reinstatement of judges sacked by Musharraf, Babar evaded a direct reply saying, "I am more for independence of judiciary."
On the Kashmir issue, he said it should be resolved peacefully.
"I do not think it can be resolved through war," he said.
Babar said both the countries should increase trade and economic activities to further improve bilateral relations.