LAHORE, Sept 6: PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain on Monday supported his party's Punjab General Council request to President Musharraf that he should not shed his military uniform for another five years , saying it was based on strong arguments.

"Terrorism, unemployment and price hike are major problems facing the country at present and only a man of very strong nerves could effectively deal with them," he said, implying that Gen Musharraf alone was the person who could steer the country out of the difficult situation.

Chaudhry Shujaat, who has come to Lahore for the first time after the end of his two-month rule as prime minister, said this while talking briefly to Dawn at his residence.

He said so far only a few individuals had pressed the president to retain his dual role, but the PML was the first to take up the matter as a party seriously. Now, he said, the party's central organization would soon discuss the matter and come up with its point of view.

The PML president was of the opinion that the 17th constitutional amendment did not make it mandatory for President Musharraf to shed his uniform by the end of the year, as was being argued by the MMA.

However, he said, the amendment could best be interpreted by the Supreme Court. He did not say whether the PML would take the matter to the Supreme Court. Answering a question, the former prime minister said that opposition parties had the legal right to go for a peaceful protest on any issue.

Asked why Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was not allowed to stay on for another two months till Mr Shaukat Aziz was elected to the lower house of parliament, Mr Shujaat said President Musharraf and the PML had lost confidence in Mr Jamali.

He said it was the greatness of President Musharraf that despite losing trust in Mr Jamali, he did not sack him and instead gave him an honourable exit. Mr Jamali, the PML president said, wanted that he should be allowed to go home honourably, and it was for this reason that he (Shujaat) was inducted for a brief period.