Report: Musharraf ouster effort seen

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 17 (UPI) -- A leader of Pakistan's coalition reportedly plans a Washington visit to win support to remove Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Asif Ali Zardari of the coalition's main Pakistan People's Party also wants former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of other coalition party, to accompany him on the U.S. trip, Pakistan's The News reported Thursday.

Quoting sources, the report said Zardari, husband of slain Benazir Bhutto, is convinced the mission could be accomplished faster if both he and Sharif met with White House and State Department officials.

Such a joint trip also would help end an impasse between their two parties over impeaching Musharraf and reinstating judges dismissed by Musharraf during his emergency rule. The differences between Zardari and Sharif threaten the coalition.

Musharrf ousted Sharif in a military coup in 1999. Since elections this year, in which his party was routed, Musharraf has seen his authority wane.

The sources told The News it is the second attempt by Zardari to convince Sharif to accompany him on a foreign trip. In the first, the report said, Sharif turned down an invitation to travel with Zardari to Saudi Arabia.