ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: The government has decided to repeal 13th and 14th amendments introduced by the Nawaz Sharif government to largely restore the original 1973 Constitution.

Former Interior Minister and prominent PML (Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and President Punjab PML (Q) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi met President Gen Pervez Musharraf here on Thursday and discussed with him a wide range of political issues, including the repeal of 13th and 14th amendments.

“During our detailed meeting with the president, we told him that our party did not have any objection to repeal of various amendments made during the Nawaz government,” Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said.

Later talking to Dawn, he said the government will introduce new amendments, especially by scraping the 13th and 14th amendments.

The 13th amendment had deprived the president of the power to dissolve the national assembly and appoint the services chiefs.

The 14th amendment stipulated that an MNA will cease to be an MNA if he violated the party discipline.

The former interior minister said his party was in favour of new political reforms currently being mulled over by the government.

However, he said he had not specifically discussed with the president the matter of carving out 26 new provinces out of the existing four as proposed by the National Reconstruction Bureau.

Mr Shujaat said the president had assured him that the government had no plan to change the Islamic laws introduced by the previous government. In this regard, the president dismissed various speculations, saying his government will not introduce anything which was against Islam and the preachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

In reply to a question, he said his party was seeking removal of the graduation condition for parliamentarians.

“The president looked favourable to consider the issue,” he said.

He said he and Pervez Elahi complimented the president for introducing joint electorate and said this decision would help create an atmosphere of solidarity and unity with the minorities.

The president also assured that he would keep his promise of holding general elections in October, and that there was no question of any delay. During the meeting, he said, a number of political and economic issues were discussed.

The president has taken bold decisions to improve political and economic conditions in Pakistan, Shujaat said. “Our party endorses president’s decision to remove religious extremism and intolerance from the society.”

He said the president told them about his meetings with the world leaders to normalize relations with India.