PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari's claim that "President Musharraf is standing alone today" just because of his party's political strategy can be disputed. Perhaps, he needs to acknowledge that it was the PML(N) that always remained disinclined to work with Musharraf even when the PPP leadership was prepared to maintain the status quo. But after the four-party ruling coalition decided to impeach him in its recent summit in Islamabad, the PPP was seen seriously endeavouring along with other partners to make the move a success. This became evident when two provincial assemblies adopted, with an overwhelming majority, resolutions asking the President to either seek a vote of confidence or resign, with the other two to follow soon. General Musharraf must have found himself outflanked by his erstwhile political allies when only 25 PML(Q) members, out of its original strength of 84, voted against the resolution in the Punjab Assembly on Monday. That the resolution was adopted by 321 votes shows that the King's Party had lost the support of another 22 members besides its Forward Bloc that claims to have 37 legislators in its fold. Former CM's son Moonis Elahi, probably looking for a face-saver, had no choice but to leave the House before the voting. The Punjab Assembly, which remained Musharraf's political mainstay for the last five years with his handpicked leadership promising to elect him president in uniform over and over again, was seen turning its face away from him. And the NWFP Assembly followed suit. It adopted on Monday an identical resolution and in a House of 124 members, 107 voted in its favour and only four against. There were 13 abstentions. The Frontier Province, which for years remained under the shadow of the MMA's treacherous politics, where Maulana Fazlur Rehman would advise a premature dissolution of the assembly to save Musharraf from humiliation, is no longer in the mood to side with a dictator. As the ruling coalition is busy giving final touches to the impeachment move, the President's foreign backers have reportedly stepped up efforts to ensure him a safe passage. Former British High Commissioner to Pakistan Mark Lyall Grant, who is believed to have played a key role in brokering a power-sharing deal between Musharraf and Benazir, dashed to Islamabad Monday evening and is expected to have crucial meetings with the beleaguered President and the ruling leadership in the next few days. But the best course for General Musharraf is to bow out quietly, following signals from the international community that it would neither pressure him to resign nor interfere in the impeachment process.