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President Pervez Musharraf plans to remain head of state of Pakistan for at least five more years.
In an interview with The Times of London, General Musharraf said he would lead his country to a "fine-tuned democracy" in that time.
It was necessary for his country's stability, he said, that he should remain in the post.
The Pakistani government's legal department is seeking a constitutional method to formalise his stay in power. "There are questions that have to be resolved finally, but I am not going anywhere," he asserted.
After the parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held in October this year, Gen Musharraf may seek endorsement for his new five-year term through a referendum and later have the verdict ratified by the National Assembly. Most Pakistanis believe he would easily win public support in such a referendum.
The general was quite sure that despite the current confrontation on the borders with India, there would be no conflict to interrupt his plans to reintroduce democracy and eliminate Islamic extremism in Pakistan.
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