ISLAMABAD, April 25: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has rejected the Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief’s demand for a new constitution and said he was personally in favour of the 1973 Constitution.

In an interview with Dawn on Thursday, Gen Musharraf said the 1973 Constitution had been accepted by all the provinces and would remain intact because constitution-making was not a joke. If at all anyone wanted to have another constitution, such matters should be left for the future assembly to decide, he added.

Responding to a question on the perception that regional and ethnic parties were being deliberately pampered by his administration to marginalize mainstream political parties, Gen Musharraf said: “There is no trade off, no deal.”

The president referred to the MQM’s grievance that many of their people had been behind bars without trial for years. Expressing concern over such delay in the judicial process, he said: “We have looked into their grievance and everything is being done according to law to meet the requirements of justice through judicial process. Judgment is being given by the courts.”

He also referred to Shoaib Bokhari’s case, who had been in detention without trial for several years.