For many Pakistanis, the political machinations take a back seat to far bigger problems in the country: shortage of essential food items, power cuts, and a skyrocketing inflation.
For his part, Musharraf has several options:
He can step down and save himself the ignominy of an impeachment. No president has been impeached in the country's history.
He can hope that the vote to impeach him falls short.
He can dissolve parliament and declare a state of emergency.
For him to do the latter, he would need the backing of the army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of the country's 61-year history.
He can step down and save himself the ignominy of an impeachment. No president has been impeached in the country's history.
He can hope that the vote to impeach him falls short.
He can dissolve parliament and declare a state of emergency.
For him to do the latter, he would need the backing of the army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of the country's 61-year history.
Musharraf stepped down as the chief of military last November. He has seen his power erode significantly since then, especially after the opposition parties swept to victory in parliamentary elections in February.
It is unclear how much support he still has among senior military leaders. The army has indicated that it wants to stay out of politics.
Musharraf has long been an ally of the United States, which has poured billions of dollars in aid during his administration to deprive Islamic militants of the sanctuary they have established along the country's rugged border with Afghanistan.
But Washington has said it will remain neutral on the impeachment issue.
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