ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has stressed the need for maintaining consistency in economic policies to build on the progress achieved in the last seven years.

The president had a meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and ruling Pakistan Muslim League leaders at the Prime Minister’s House on Saturday evening.

They discussed, among other things, various ways to forge unity in party ranks at all levels and prepare it for the next elections.

The meeting was held after President Musharraf addressed a select gathering of the PML leadership and old guards in which his major stress was on shunning internal party differences in order to reject and defeat forces opposed to the slogan of modernisation.

Official sources said that the meeting, which was also attended by PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, secretary-general Mushahid Hussain and Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, had a candid discussion on various issues.

Political situation and law and order in the country, situation in the region and developments in the Middle East, especially in the aftermath of execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain came under discussion.

Mr Aziz updated the president on various initiatives taken by the government, and said that the continued structural reforms in every sphere would further improve the overall performance and the quality of governance.

Both leaders emphasised the need for peaceful settlement of all disputes, including Kashmir.They called for an equitable resolution of the Palestine issue to improve the situation in the Middle East.