LAHORE, June 1: Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said on Sunday that the PPP-led government would not change its policy towards Pervez Musharraf in spite of President Bush’s support to the beleaguered leader.

He said that Mr Bush had made the phone call, expressing support for Mr Musharraf in his “personal capacity” and should not be taken as backing by the US government.

Talking to Dawn, he said America’s official policy was reflected by US Senators who during their recent visit to Pakistan called for reinstatement of the deposed judges, a demand that irritated President Musharraf.

The minister said the PPP leadership’s top priority was “to save the government” even if it had to sacrifice its relationship with any person.

“If you have to survive, you have to leave the president. He is an unpopular leader”.

Asked what were the PPP’s obligations in return for the National Reconciliation Ordinance, he said the agreement between the PPP and the president was no longer “valid or useful” after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

In response to a question, the defence minister rejected as rumours press reports that at a recent meeting Gen Parvez Kayani had asked President Musharraf to step down.

“These were all rumours. The man (army chief) who was reported to have told the president to quit had not said anything publicly, although he met the president again after the said meeting”.

“The army chief”, the defence minister said, “is a very straight soldier and his policy of non-interference in civilian matters is very clear.”

He also rejected reports that a foreign plane had come to Islamabad to take President Musharraf and his family out of the country. Nothing like that, he said.

Answering another question, Ahmed Mukhtar said if the president’s powers to dissolve the National Assembly or appoint governors and services chiefs were taken away, as proposed in the constitutional package, Mr Musharraf might like to step down.

Asked who could replace Musharraf, the defence minister said Asif Ali Zardari would be the best choice even if the president’s power to dissolve the assembly was “not” taken away.

He said he was saying this because Mr Zardari would be the last man to sack his own party’s government.

He said if the president was to be deprived of all powers and reduced to a ceremonial figure then anyone could be elevated to that posting.

He made it clear that the next president would belong to the PPP because it was the majority party in parliament.

About the demand that President Musharraf should be tried on treason charge, the defence minister said impeachment would suffice. “If he’s the president, he can’t be tried.”

Responding to a question, he said there should be no bar on a twice-elected prime minister from serving for another term.However, he said, he did not know why Mr Nawaz Sharif was contesting the election at a time when he stood no chance to become premier.

A former secretary-general of the party, Ahmed Mukhtar, said the PPP had no plan to set up a PPP-led government in Punjab. Had it harboured such a desire, it would have approached all independents elected to the assembly.