ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali expressed the hope on Thursday that President Pervez Musharraf would not use his discretionary powers to dissolve the National Assembly under article 58(2)(b), now a part of the Constitution.

The prime minister, who appeared to be relaxed, was talking to newsmen in his chamber at the parliament house after the National Assembly and the Senate adopted resolutions to give a vote of confidence to President Musharraf.

"The president, who has always kept his promises in the past, has said it publicly that he will not use his powers to dismiss the government. Therefore, there is no question of use of this article by the president," the prime minister said.

"The government will make all efforts to deliver good and come up to the expectations of people so that there is no need of using article 58(2)(b)," he added.

When asked whether the number of votes cast in favour of the president was less than what he had expected, the prime minister said he was expecting that much votes from the two houses, "though we tried our level best to convince our friends to exercise their right in favour of the president".

We already had trust in the president, which had been reaffirmed now after the vote of confidence, the prime minister said. "I believe that now the democratic institutions will be strengthened and will move forward for the progress and prosperity of the country," Mr Jamali observed. The prime minister rejected the opposition's claim of horse-trading in the voting process.

About the possibility of the president's address to a joint sitting of parliament, the prime minister said the government was moving step by step and now that the vote of confidence had been taken, the government would sit after the Saarc summit to decide about the president's address.

Replying to a question about nomination of the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, the prime minister said the matter would be settled soon in consultation with the speaker of the National Assembly.

Unfolding his future line of action, the prime minister said his government would continue to seek cooperation from colleagues in the ARD to ensure smooth functioning of parliament. "Every politician should have a say in parliament's affairs for which the government will continue its efforts to resolve the problems of the opposition while sticking to rules and regulations," Mr Jamali said.

The prime minister congratulated people on the successful adoption of the trust vote and said the nation had also heaved a sigh of relief today as it had suffered a lot due to this "unpleasant atmosphere" which had pervaded the country for the last 14 months.

"Despite all this, I was confident from the day one that the situation would be resolved one day and we would succeed in reaching an understanding," the prime minister said.

The successful trust vote would also have a positive impact on the Saarc summit because parliament had expressed its will by reposing its confidence in the president.

In reply to a question, the prime minister admitted that unemployment was rampant in the country, and said his government would try its best to overcome the problem. However, he said it was not possible for the government to provide job to every body.

Mr Jamali said the foreign offices of Pakistan and India were looking into the possibility of an one-on-one meeting between President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He also hinted about a reshuffle in the federal cabinet after the Saarc summit and said events of the last few days had prevented him from bringing changes in the cabinet.