Islamabad, Jan. 16 (Reuters): Security concerns have prompted Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to make plans to move into his official presidential residence after having survived two assassination attempts last month, officials said today. Musharraf, who also holds the post of army chief, now lives in his official military residence.

He will move from the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where the Pakistani army has its headquarters and where the two attempts on his life took place, to Islamabad, a senior government official said. “He plans to shift to the President’s House in Islamabad next month,” said the official.

He said the decision was taken for security reasons and came after a request from the government of Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali following the two assassination attempts. This month Musharraf jokingly brushed aside the possibility of another attack, saying he had “nine lives”.

Parliament speech

Musharraf will make his first-ever speech to parliament tomorrow. The speech follows a deal with a hardline Islamic party alliance last month that ended a standoff over the extent of Musharraf's powers that had paralysed parliament since its opening in 2002.