In a national televised address he said he was confident the charges against him would not stand, but this was not the time for more confrontation.

The charges against the president include violation of the constitution and gross misconduct.

He has been one of the United States' strongest allies in its war against Islamist extremism.

His political rivals swept to power last February in national and provincial elections after months of political confrontation and worsening militant violence.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says Mr Musharraf's resignation marks the end of an era for a country facing enormous economic and security challenges.

Looking calm and dressed soberly in a dark suit and tie, the embattled president said he had decided to resign after consulting his allies and advisers.

Mr Musharraf said his appeals for reconciliation with his opponents had fallen on deaf ears.

He was not afraid of the impeachment charges he is facing, he said. "Not a single charge can be proved against me."

But he said the impeachment process would have plunged the country into more uncertainty. "This is not the time for individual bravado."

He said whatever mistakes he had made in office were unintentional and that "I leave myself in the hands of the people".

He began his address by saying that when he took over in a military coup in 1999, Pakistan was going to be declared a failed state and faced great economic challenges.

He said that "false allegations were made against me" by people who "tried to turn the truth into lies".

He gave a long defence of the country's economic record, detailing the progress he said it had made under his rule.

He said the problems Pakistan faced could be solved if people worked together and believed in themselves.

Mr Musharraf decided to address the nation as ministers warned over the weekend that impeachment proceedings against him could begin as early as Tuesday of this week.

He was forced to give up control of the armed forces last year.

The president's public standing suffered a huge setback in 2007 when he sacked Pakistan's chief justice and nearly 60 judges to prevent them from overturning his re-election as president.

Source: BBC

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