'There is no guarantee of what happens to Musharraf in the distant future, but the deal promises no official disgrace for Musharraf under the present government,' the official added.

Notwithstanding the deal, The News said senior PPP leaders seem convinced that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's growing pressure on the government to file sedition charges against Musharraf were actually a political attempt by his PML-N to pitch the PPP government against the army.

'Mian saheb, we (the PPP) have had enough of confrontation with the army and have given enough of sacrifices, this time please excuse us now, you go ahead and do the job,' the newspaper quoted Zardari as telling Sharif during a meeting last month.

The newspaper also noted that units from all three military services gave Musharraf 'a final salute before a warm send-off by three services chiefs and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee that followed his historic resignation speech'.

'This was all very carefully choreographed to give a message to the nation and the world that no military rebuke was attached to Musharraf's departure after nine years in the presidency,' a senior security official was quoted as saying.

The Islamabad police had Aug 10 registered a criminal case against Musharraf following the orders of the Additional Sessions Judge, Islamabad, Mohammad Akmal Khan.

Khan was acting on a petition filed by advocate Mohammad Aslam Ghuman seeking action against Musharraf for ordering the confinement of the Supreme Court judges after declaring an emergency in November 2007.

The FIR states that Musharraf and others had detained the Supreme Court judges and their families at their houses and their children were neither allowed to attend school nor permitted to appear in examinations.

The Supreme Court had July 29 ruled that the declaration of emergency Nov 3, 2007, was unconstitutional and illegal.