Islamabad: Pakistan government has claimed that US has given a "go ahead" to President Pervez Musharraf's controversial Constitutional amendments, a media report said on October 25.

The US has "informed" that "it has absolutely no objection" over the amendments as they were needed in the present "socio-political" situation of the country, 'The News' daily quoted a ministerial source" as saying.

"The President shared this welcome piece of information with his Cabinet colleagues in a recent meeting," 'The News' said adding, "It was after the US approval the government decided to make the Legal Framework Order (LFO), incorporating the amendments, a part of the 1973 Constitution."

According to the newspaper, Musharraf informed the Cabinet that the amendments incorporated in the LFO 2002 were discussed with US authorities and Bush administration had questioned him on reservations of the political parties.

It said Musharraf "convinced" the US authorities stating that the LFO was "needed to control the politically elected governments as they tended to be corrupt and despotic, resulting in frequent military interventions".

Musharraf told the Cabinet that he was able to convince the Americans that amendments were necessary in the socio-political environment of Pakistan, the paper said.

Sources in Pakistan Peoples' Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) headed by former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto dismissed claims of getting US approval saying such claims were timed to put pressure on political parties to toe the government line.

PTI