ISLAMABAD, June 8: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday rejected the assertion of Justice (retired) Malik Qayum, the government counsel in the presidential reference case, that he should volunteer to resign in case the verdict of the Supreme Court or the Supreme Judicial Council came out against the reference.

Speaking at a news conference after presiding over the ruling Pakistan Muslim League parliamentary group’s meeting at Prime Minister’s House, Mr Aziz said he had given an advice to the president under the law according to his honest judgement, which was not tantamount to doing anything wrong which could end up in his resignation.

He, however, reiterated the government’s stance that it would honour the judgment of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Judicial Council.

He denied that he or President Pervez Musharraf had passed remarks against party legislators in their interaction with coalition parliamentarians as reflected in some newspapers.

PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain expressed surprise over the counsel’s advice, saying that it meant that anyone who filed a suit in the court would be punished if the verdict went against him.