Mukhtar denies having called Musharraf 'national asset'

ISLAMABAD — Defence minister Ahmed Mukhtar has refuted reports attributing remarks to him that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf is a "national asset" and that the PPP would work with him in the larger national interest.
A defence ministry statement said Ahmed Mukhtar had never made such statement that has evoked considerable controversy and alarmed coalition partners, in particular the PML-N that wants Musharraf to step down. Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi, however, welcomed the minister's remarks.
Qureshi told Dawn News that all political parties and politicians barring PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif were ready to work with President Musharraf. He said the PML-N's reaction to Mukhtar's statement had a "marginal" value because its representation in parliament was only 22 per cent.
He said that only those who were "insane" or "indifferent" to the national interest would disagree with Mukhtar's statement.
The spokesman also welcomed the briefing given by the army to the political leadership, saying that the latter had now been shown the "real" picture of the 'war on terror'. He said it was now up to the civilian leadership to decide the future course of the pressing issue.
Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar's recent statement that President Pervez Musharraf is a "national asset" negates the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and the Muree Declaration, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesman Sadeequl Farooq said here adding that the party would seek explanation from the PPP.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Mukhtar said president's interference in the parliamentary affairs would be resisted. He said the war on terror would continue. However, if the president tried to interfere in the affairs of parliament, then the PPP would be forced to think about the future of the president.