London, Aug 14: A British news and current affairs intelligence service has reportedly said that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had a bleak future ahead in his country even if he refuses to resign and survives the impeachment process, which is likely to begin Monday.

Oxford Analytica said in a commentary that the governing coalition was certain to win more seats in the forthcoming Senate elections, due by March 2009, and the government will most likely try to impeach the president again.

“Any attempt by him to dislodge the government using his authority under Article 58(2b) of the constitution will plunge the country into yet another election, the results of which are unlikely to differ greatly from the February 18 poll. He can also reach out to his hand-picked Supreme Court to halt the impeachment process on technical grounds, but given the prevailing public opinion, the Supreme Court will be hesitant to oblige him,” the Daily Times quoted the analysis service as saying on its website.

It described the current situation as “unprecedented”, since, according to it, no Pakistani military ruler had been impeached before.

The analysis added: “Musharraf knows that the army will ensure that he will not face trial and will be provided safe exit, particularly if he chooses to leave office voluntarily. He is likely to give serious consideration to this option as the formal impeachment proceedings get underway. Musharraf has few resources to draw on and the prospects for his survival in office are slim. Pakistan is at a crossroads: there could be a prolonged impeachment struggle, which would push the country towards greater instability; or Musharraf might resign or succumb to a quick impeachment process, which could help stabilise the PPP-led coalition government.” (ANI)