Mush to work with new coalition govt: Qureshi

Islamabad, Mar 1: President Pervez Musharraf's spokesperson General (retd) Rashid Qureshi has said the former army chief would not quit his post and was rather willing to work with the new coalition government.

He slammed the media yesterday for fanning reports of the President's resignation, calling them ''baseless and unfounded.'' The spokesperson noted that it was only the Nawaz Sharif faction which was opposed to working with the President.''Only Nawaz Sharif and the so-called civil society consisting of 100 or 200 people are clamouring for the resignation of the President,'' the spokesman said.''The parties, which won the elections were ready to work with the President,'' he noted.

Mr Sharif kept repeating that ''he could not work with the President, while the factual position is that he is not elected from anywhere,'' General(retd) Qureshi said.

He also rubbished media reports that claimed the former army chief had asked the PPP to inititate steps for reinstating the sacked judges, terming the reports ''unfair and fabricated''.

While advising the media to stay away from such tactics, he said, ''It is an outrageously fabricated news item and has no reality. I think the PPP leadership has also denied any such message conveyed to them,'' the News quoted him as saying.

He said the media should not deviate from its ethics and should confirm information concerning the President before publishing.

''All they have to do is to pick up the phone and call me, as it also comes in the journalistic ethics to confirm such reports,'' he said.

UNI