ISLAMABAD, March 27: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said the Legal Framework Order (LFO) is a system of checks and balances, which is extremely important for Pakistan.

Informed sources told Dawn that the president had ruled out the possibility of any change in the LFO as being demanded by the opposition.

He has also conveyed to Prime Minister Mir Zafaruallh Jamali and other senior Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leaders that there is no question of scraping the National Security Council (NSC).

Sources said the president was of the view that active participation of all the four chief ministers in the NSC would ensure smooth functioning of the democratic system in the country.

Mr Musharraf regretted that the opposition had not read the LFO carefully and was unnecessarily making hue and cry over it.

“PML-Q parliamentary leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is holding talks with the opposition, has been told not to make any compromise on the LFO,” said a source close to the presidency.

He also said Gen Musharraf had made it clear that he would not take off his military uniform and that he would simultaneously be serving as the president and the chief of the army staff.

The source said the president believed that military uniform was important to keep the cohesion among the armed forces.

There were reportedly informal contacts between the PML-Q leaders and the opposition, specially the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), this week.

When contacted, a prominent PML-Q leader told Dawn that, in principle, there could be no amendment to the LFO. He said the MMA was “over committed on the LFO” and, hence, unprepared to have any compromise on it.

“Perhaps the MMA also wants some face-saving at this stage but the opposition leaders should know that there could hardly be any change in the LFO which will be allowed by the president,” he said.

However, he conceded that some cosmetic changes being promised by the PML-Q parliamentary leader would not convince the MMA to give up its stand on the LFO. Unless the MMA succeeded in having another issue, he added, it would continue to talk about the LFO.

He said the PML-Q was now banking on Wasim Sajjad to convince the opposition on the LFO.

“If today we accept anything on the LFO under pressure, the opposition will tomorrow ask for re-election which is not acceptable to anyone, including the president,” he said.