ISLAMABAD, May 30: PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Friday parried a volley of questions about the possibility of impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf and kept it vague who would decide about the matter.

Speaking at a crowded news conference after attending a meeting of the Socialist International’s Asia-Pacific Committee at a hotel, Mr Zardari avoided making any comment on President Musharraf despite repeated questions by reporters, saying only the PPP believed that “dialogue is the only way to move towards democracy”.

“The PPP is a mature party. We will move ahead through dialogue with patience and dignity,” he said. He evaded a question on whether he was in direct or indirect contact with the president.

Socialist International Secretary General Luis Ayala, Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf and Information Minister Sherry Rehman were present at the news conference, which proved to be a non-event for most of the reporters.

The reporters were curious to know about President Musharraf’s fate a day after the country remained in the grip of rumours that the president had decided to tender resignation.

Just before the end of the news conference a reporter asked when the PPP would think of getting rid of President Musharraf, Mr Zardari quipped: “Whenever you will want. Whenever the people will want and whenever parliament will want.”He himself noted that it was the fifth question about President Musharraf’s impeachment. “Politics is our profession. It is us who will choose the time and create an opportunity. For the time being, show patience on whatever little freedom you have,” he added.

Mr Zardari’s sidestepping of questions about President Musharraf contrasted with a hard-hitting statement by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif: “The time had come for President Musharraf to resign because all sections of society want to get rid of him.”

In reply to a question, Mr Zardari said the constitutional package was in the final stage and would soon be made public.

Mr Zardari downplayed the lawyers’ movement and said that everyone was free to hold long marches. He said there was democracy in the country and lawyers would be welcome to hold a long march on June 10.

“We will present them flowers and provide them with water and food.”

Interestingly, a 450-word handout was issued by the Zardari House press office regarding the press conference, but there was no mention of any reply to questions regarding President Musharraf’s impeachment.

Earlier in a brief statement, Mr Zardari said he had a vision to bring a change in the system through parliament. He praised the struggle and sacrifices rendered by Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Sui Kyi. He said that a PPP delegation would visit Myanmar to express solidarity with her.

Mr Zardari said the PPP government was aware of hardships people were facing because of high food and oil prices. He assured newsmen that despite economic pressures the upcoming budget would be people-friendly.

He said that a card-based system was being introduced to provide essential commodities to poor people. The “Benazir Card” would be given to the “poorest of the poor” and they would be able to shop on those cards and the subsidy amount would be automatically transferred to those accounts every month, he added.