In an effort to undermine President Pervez Musharraf's re-election bid, Pakistani opposition lawmakers on Tuesday submitted their resignations ahead of the October 6 vote.
A total of 86 opposition members in National Assembly, lower house of Parliament, handed over their resignations to Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.
Their resignations came in protest against Mushararf's bid to seek re-election in the presidential poll on Saturday while retaining the post of Army chief.
All the members who resigned belong to the opposition alliance All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) led by exiled former Premier Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party.
Opposition members of three provincial assemblies too tendered their resignations to the Speakers in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta -- the capitals of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan respectively. A total of 46 members resigned in Punjab, 25 in Balochistan and seven in Sindh.
The opposition's move is aimed at wrecking the credibility of Musharraf's expected re-election for a fresh five year term as President.
"We have handed over the resignation of 86 members of the National Assembly to the Speaker," Leader of Opposition Fazlur Rehman told reporters.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the ruling alliance of Islamic groups in the North West Frontier Province, delayed a decision on quitting the provincial assembly as the opposition has submitted a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani.
{{/usCountry}}The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the ruling alliance of Islamic groups in the North West Frontier Province, delayed a decision on quitting the provincial assembly as the opposition has submitted a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani.
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