Two prominent US Senators on Monday said Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf should look for a "graceful exit" instead of being forced out of power in the wake of parliamentary election results in which opposition parties scored stunning victories.
"Had I been the political adviser, that's what I would advise," chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph Biden said when asked whether it was time for Musharraf to leave gracefully.
The top Democrat, who along with Senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel were in Pakistan during the general elections, said he did not favour an attempt to impeach Musharraf.
"I firmly believe if they (opposition parties) do not focus on old grudges -- and there's plenty in Pakistan and give him a graceful way to move, that will be exactly what the
Telegraph of London reported, apparently," Biden told ABC television referring to a report in the UK newspaper.
A close aide of President Pervez Musharraf, told London's 'Sunday Telegraph' that the embattled leader, whose allies were routed in the polls, "is considering stepping down in
Days" to avoid a showdown with the newly elected Parliament.
However, a Presidential spokesman denied that Musharraf was considering quitting.
Also endorsing a negotiated exit for Musharraf rather than forced out was Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The Senator from Texas advised the incoming government not to be "heavy-handed or ham-handed".
"I would absolutely agree. If I were asked my advice, which I wasn't, that the new government, which has a mandate from the people, would not be heavy-handed or ham-handed," she said when asked whether it was time for Musharraf to make a graceful exit.
