Islamabad: Dropping yet another open hint that he is going to retain the post of the Army Chief, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has asked the agitating Opposition parties not to view it as a personal matter but consider it from the point of political stability and war against terrorism.

Musharraf, addressing an Iftar dinner in Islamabad last night (Oct 25, 2004), said any decision by him should not be viewed as a personal matter but evaluated in the large national context at a time when the country needs political stability, stable democracy and is also striving for societal change to contain extremism.

His comments followed the adoption of a bill moved by the Government in the National Assembly authorising him to hold the offices of the President and Army Chief beyond this year.

The bill was necessitated as Musharraf had pledged last year to shed his uniform by the end of December 2004.

Opposition parties have been agitating in and out of Parliament opposing any move by Musharraf to continue in the uniform. The President, however, said he is yet to make up his mind on it.

Commonwealth Secretary General Don MacKinnon on a visit to Pakistan this week gave limited endorsement to any plan by Musharraf to retain the uniform if it had the backing of Parliament.

The Commonwealth, which suspended Pakistan after the military coup in 1999, readmitted it in May this year following Musharraf's assurances to quit as the Chief of Army.