Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf stepped down as military chief on Wednesday, a move that had been a key demand of his political rivals and Western backers. - Musharraf will be sworn in as a civilian president on Thursday. - But it is unclear if or when Musharraf will end Pakistan's current state of emergency rule, in which hundreds of opposition figures and their supporters have been detained and independent media has been silenced. - During a change of command Wednesday, Musharraf relinquished his post by handing over his ceremonial baton to his successor, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, a former intelligence chief. - "[You] are the saviors of Pakistan," Musharraf said in an emotional final speech to the troops. He appeared to be blinking back tears as the guard of honour performed a final march-by. - Since seizing power in a coup in 1999, Musharraf has served as president while retaining his post as head of the armed forces. Opposition parties had threatened to boycott the...