ISLAMABAD, June 10: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Sunday he expected President Pervez Musharraf to secure another five years in office this autumn despite the ongoing judicial crisis.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz projected an air of confidence for the government and Gen Musharraf's leadership, playing down signs of a spread in extremism in the country and predicting this would be the first parliament in country’s history to complete its full five-year term.

Mr Aziz said the country had been going through a period of economic growth and now had record reserves of $15 billion.

“The whole nation hopes, and I'm sure President Musharraf wants to stand for re-election. We are very sure he will contest and he will be elected for another term,'' said Mr Aziz.

(President Musharraf, it may be mentioned, said in an interview to an Arabic television channel on Saturday that he would contest the forthcoming presidential elections in uniform, and would not strike a deal with PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto or her party.

He said he would not step down as the army chief before the election, adding that he had won the previous election in uniform and would again contest the election in uniform.)

The prime minister went out of his way to defend the government record in tolerating criticism.

''We believe in freedom of the press. The government is very much at peace with itself so if people criticise us, we welcome it as long as there is a code of conduct and norms of fair reporting are followed,'' he said, but added the institution of the army should be spared of unfair attacks.

Mr Aziz said the government had a ''comfortable majority'' in parliament and he therefore saw no obstacle to President Musharraf winning a re-election in a vote scheduled to take place between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15.

He said the constitution was the supreme law, and it allowed President Musharraf to be re-elected by the sitting parliament rather than a new parliament that would take its place after elections late in the year. —AP