LAHORE, Sept 27: The ruling PML will effectively counter opposition's planned movement against President Pervez Musharraf's military uniform, a party official said on Monday.

Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, provincial secretary-general, said while talking to Dawn that the PML resolutions that the president should retain his military office even after Dec 31 were reflective of people's aspirations.

Every legislator endorsing the resolution represented the opinion of hundreds of thousands of voters in his constituency, the PML leader said, implying that the pro-uniform campaign enjoyed support at the grassroots level.

The MMA and the ARD have already decided to launch a movement to mount pressure on President Musharraf to quit as COAS as he had promised about a year ago. However, the president has rejected the demand on the plea that the qualitative change in the situation over the past one year required him to continue to wear both hats.

The two opposition alliances are exploring the possibility of cooperation, although they have differences on several policy matters. "Their (proposed) movement will not take off. People are not with them. They have been threatening for the past five years to overthrow President Musharraf. But they have failed to get support from the masses", Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said.

He said his party was watching the situation very carefully and would not be silent spectator in case opposition parties violated the law. The PML would devise an appropriate strategy to counter the proposed movement as and when they launched it.

"We'll not let the paper tigers mislead the people. We'd counter their disinformation campaign. They haven't been able to get public support over the past five years and they would fail to get it in the times to come", the PML leader said.

He said despite being devoid of public support, opposition parties were talking of a movement only to keep themselves in news. Asked to comment on demands for fresh elections, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said they were totally uncalled for. He said there was no possibility of premature polls.

He said the assemblies had been elected for a five-year term and there was no question of any election before 2007. President Musharraf, he said, had held the 2002 election according to his commitment and he would hold the next election on the completion of the term of the existing assemblies.

The Punjab PML secretary-general condemned the demand made by the PML-N leaders that President Musharraf should not only quit but also hand himself over to the law. The statement, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said, was simply condemnable which depicted the desperation and "intellectual morbidity" of those who had made it.

He alleged that some political leaders were out to create chaos and anarchy, but they would never succeed in their designs. The PML leader said it was ridiculous that the man who was enforcing the law in the country was being asked to quit and hand himself over to the law.