Reports on Musharraf leaving denied

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 29 (UPI) -- A spokesman for President Pervez Musharraf denied news reports that the Pakistani leader planned to resign.

Spokesman Rashid Qureshi said the reports were unfounded, the Pakistan Tribune reported Thursday.

Reports that Musharraf may decide to leave office began circulating following his 3 1/2-hour meeting with Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the Army House in Rawalpindi late Wednesday night, the Press Trust of India reported.

They grew after a senior officer with the army's 111 Brigade, responsible for Musharraf's security, was transferred. But the military said the replacement of the brigadier, who had been perceived as a Musharraf loyalist, was routine, the PTI reported.

Qureshi said the reports were "just rumors."

Separately, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party is part of the ruling coalition, said there is no justification to provide a safe exit for Musharraf, Dawn reported. Sharif said Asif Ali Zardari, who heads the main party in the coalition, agreed with him to remove the president.