From the Financial Times:

Pakistan's ruling coalition last night pledged to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, in the clearest challenge yet to the authority of the country's proUS ruler.

The move has deepened concerns about the country's political stability and the reaction of senior generals in the coming days to a legal challenge to the former head of the military will be crucial. Pakistan has been ruled by the military for more than half its 61-year history as an independent state.

The impeachment decision was announced by Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan People's party of Benazir Bhutto, the late prime minister. "We have good news for democracy," he said. "The [ruling] coalition believes it is imperative to move for impeachment against General Musharraf."

"good news for democracy" translation: the U.S. should stay out of this, everything's fine.

Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the other key party in the ruling coalition, added: "This person [Musharraf] committed an oppression against Pakistan. That's why the parliament has decided to impeach him."

Mr Sharif, the most outspoken critic of the president among Pakistani politicians, was the prime minister in 1999 when Mr Musharraf, in his previous position as head of the military, led the last coup. Mr Sharif was arrested and then exiled to Saudi Arabia, before returning to Pakistan last year.

There was no immediate reaction from Mr Musharraf's office, although politicians loyal to him said he was preparing to fight rather than quietly step down and possibly head in to exile. He summoned a close group of legal and political advisers for consultations but there was no official word on those talks.

"I don't think they [the government] have thought through this exercise," said Mushahid Hussain, secretary-general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid e Azam, a party of Musharraf loyalists that ruled Pakistan for five years until February's elections. "They think they can browbeat him [Musharraf] and he will blink. I don't see any evidence of that yet."

Amin Fahim, a senior PPP leader who has publicly disagreed with his party on pursuing the impeachment, said the decision had been "taken in haste".

"We have seen in Pakistan's history that whenever pillars of the state have clashed, there has always been a setback to democracy," he said.

"set back for democracy" translation: help! U.S. do something!

Army commanders met yesterday in Rawalpindi in a routine session led by Gen Ashfaq Kiyani, the army chief who replaced Mr Musharraf late last year.

Western diplomats said a transition would be closely watched by the US, which regards Pakistan as a key ally in the war on terror and has backed Mr Musharraf.

A senior western diplomat said: "The principal question for the US is fundamentally two-fold. Can there be a relatively sharp and short transition in Pakistan, and can that happen without the policy against militants going in further turmoil?"

Translation: you're on your own.