LAHORE, June 22: Former federal minister Begum Abida Husain has appreciated her daughter Sughra Imam's decision to quit the Punjab cabinet, saying Gen Musharraf should also take a similar decision in the larger national interest.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, she said Gen Musharraf had completed two terms as army chief and had been in power for the last five years. She said now the general should lead a retired life.

Asked about the possibility of her joining the ARD, she said there was no reason for her to delay the decision. However, she said, she had consistently been playing her role for the restoration of democracy.

She hoped former PML-Q president Mian Azhar would also follow the same course.

ZAEEM: Nawaz Sharif's spokesman Zaeem Qadri said on Tuesday the present government was following the same policy about India which Gen Musharraf had opposed when Mr Sharif was in power.

Talking to reporters, he said the Lahore Declaration being referred to by the officials of the two countries was the same which had been issued at the end of then Indian prime minister Vajpayee's visit to Lahore in 1999.