Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, has stepped down as army chief, ending eight years of divisive military rule as he prepares to be sworn in as a civilian leader.

He handed over control of the army and its nuclear arsenal to his deputy - the country's former intelligence chief - general Ashfaq Kiyani, at a ceremony in Rawalpindi.

The move on Wednesday saw the end of a four-decade military career that has seen Musharraf serve as a commando who fought in two wars with rival India and toppled a civilian government.

But Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and has since become a key US ally, will face further pressure at home and abroad to lift emergency rule ahead of the elections set for January 8.

International pressure

His resignation from the military meets a key demand of the international community who had, until recently, supported Musharraf as long as he fought al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

George Bush, the US president, and other Western leaders have called on Musharraf to step down as army chief, lift the state of emergency, restore the constitution and release political detainees.

But how Musharraf fares politically, without his military role, depends on the continued backing of Kiyani and the strength of Pakistan's opposition parties.

"Musharraf is going to be far more vulnerable than he has been to this point," Farsana Shaikh, a Pakistani analyst at Chatham House, the London-based think-tank, said.

"He certainly risks facing an unruly parliament which may well decide to take revenge."

Election boycott

Nawaz Sharif, a former Pakistani premier, who Musharraf ousted eight years ago, and Benazir Bhutto, another former prime minister, are both vying for the position ahead of next year's elections.

The two are considering a boycott of the polls if they take place under his imposed emergency rule.

Musharraf imposed the state of emergency citing rising Islamic militancy and an unruly judiciary.

Critics claimed that he wanted to purge the supreme court of hostile judges to ensure that they would not overturn his victory in last month's presidential election.

Sharif and Bhutto, both of whom have served two terms, have vowed never to serve under Musharraf in a future government.

PHOTO CAPTION

Musharraf salutes as he listens to the national anthem during the farewell ceremony at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. [AFP]

Al-Jazeera