LAHORE, Sept 5: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, who was elected unopposed president of the Punjab PML along with 80 other office-bearers by the general council here on Sunday, has urged President Pervez Musharraf not to shed his uniform for at least five years as with his dual office is linked the security and stability of the country.

Addressing the general council immediately after being declared elected at the Muslim League House, he said the ruling party would fight legal as well as political battle to ensure that the president simultaneously retained his military post.

Although the PPP-Patriots, a coalition partner, has been making similar suggestions on identical grounds in recent weeks, Pervaiz Elahi happens to be the first chief minister to express an unflinching support to Gen Musharraf on an issue the MMA regards as a matter of life and death for itself.

The religious alliance thinks that under the 17th Amendment, Gen Musharraf is under obligation to take off one of the two caps by the year-end. "For political and economic stability and prosperity of the country, it's imperative that President Musharraf stay in his military uniform," the chief minister said.

Opposing the MMA demand, he said Maulana Fazlur Rahman should not forget that a 'civilian' Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had not let his father (Mufti Mahmood) complete six months as NWFP chief minister.

In contrast, President Musharraf was tolerating the MMA and their government. He said he failed to understand what prompted the religious alliance to raise the issue of Gen Musharraf's uniform.

To other critics of Gen Musharraf, the chief minister said they should bear in mind that Mr Bhutto, who was referred to as if he was the biggest democrat in the world, was the first civilian chief martial law administrator in history.

A resolution moved by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, elected information secretary and additional secretary-general of the party, said the meeting fully supported the steps taken by President Musharraf for the security and stability of the country, safety of the defence assets and eradication of poverty, ignorance and terrorism.

It said the president should not heed the demand made by some 'non-serious' elements that he give up one of the two offices. Some resolutions supported the seven-point agenda of Gen Musharraf and the services of Shujaat Husain both as the head of the party and the outgoing prime minister. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was also congratulated on being elected head of the government, and was assured of the party's support in the implementation of his policies.

Pervaiz Elahi said time had come to take the PML to the grassroots level. For this purpose, he said, everybody was required to play his role. The ministers and ruling party legislators at all tiers should open their doors on PML workers and extend them all possible cooperation, he said.

In his opinion now the law permitted the Nazims to play their role in political parties, after which all Nazims belonging to the PML should strengthen their party. The chief minister directed his party colleagues to hoist PML flags atop their houses.

Pervaiz Elahi also recalled the achievements of his government since its installation after the October 2002 elections and the plans he had for the future. He reiterated his commitment to provide a million jobs to people in the province.

He said since the government alone could not provide jobs to all those joining the labour market every year, the government would try to increase the role of the private sector.

He said a PML welfare foundation would be set up, which would do a number of things for the betterment of the ruling party members. The chief minister underlined the need for more water reservoirs, saying if no decision was taken during the current years, posterity would not forgive the rulers.

Law Minister Raja Basharat moved a resolution whereby the general council elected unopposed 45 members of the council for the provincial working committee. Two of them, Mohammad Zaman Qureshi and Advocate Alamgir, were the members of the election authority which conducted the election - in which all office-bearers won without facing any rivals.

A resolution moved by Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani empowered the new provincial president to mobilize and reorganize the party at all levels and reconstruct the Muslim League House. It also authorized Pervaiz Elahi to appoint vice-presidents and joint secretaries, as and when needed.

Secretary-General Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said the seven-point agenda of President Musharraf was the uniting factor for all coalition partners. He said the party would devote all its energies to make Pakistan an enlightened progressive state according to the vision of Gen Musharraf.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The Sunday meeting elected Pervaiz Elahi as president, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin secretary-general and Senator Kamil Ali Agha information secretary/additional secretary-general. Abdul Aleem Khan is finance secretary of the party.