ISLAMABAD, July 22: President Pervez Musharraf told the federal cabinet on Monday that he was meeting the politicians to seek their views on the proposed constitutional amendments.

Sources told Dawn that the president said he had been meeting the politicians, constitutional experts, intellectuals and journalists to discuss with them all the aspects of the proposed constitutional package.

The sources said the president told the meeting that an impression had been created by certain quarters that through the proposed changes the regime wanted to have a powerless prime minister. He said it was a wrong perception as he was not looking for increased powers for himself and that the objective was to strike a balance in the powers of the president, the prime minister and chief of the army staff.

Gen Musharraf said there would be a special joint meeting of the cabinet and the National Security Council early next month to discuss and finalize the next constitutional amendment package. He said the points raised by the politicians during their meetings with him would be given due consideration before finalizing the package.

The sources said the officials of the law ministry and the NRB had advised the government not to compromise on its plan to restore Article 58(2)(B).

Similarly, the sources said, the president had been advised to retain the NSC which would formalise the role of the army in the politics and would ensure that there was no military takeover in future.