APDM parliamentarians will resign, if Pak Election Commission accepts Musharraf papers

Parliamentarians of the Opposition All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) have warned that they would resign from the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies if President Pervez Musharrafs nomination papers for the presidential election are accepted.

Islamabad, Sep 17 : Parliamentarians of the Opposition All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) have warned that they would resign from the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies if President Pervez Musharraf's nomination papers for the presidential election are accepted.

"The APDM component parties have decided to resign from the national as well as provincial assemblies to block Musharraf's re-election. All APDM parties will quit the assemblies and launch a mass protest movement the day President Musharraf's nomination papers are accepted by the Election Commission of Pakistan," Raja Zafarul Haq, convener of the Joint Action Committee of the APDM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chairman, told reporters.

He made this statement after the APDM leaders meeting, which was called to chalk out the alliance's response to the deportation of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Musharraf's re-election plan.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Javed Hashmi, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Imran Khan, Masood Khan Achakzai, Liaqat Baloch and others met at the residence of MNA Muhammad Aslam.

Commenting on the reports that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which is not a part of the APDM, had contacted the PML-N for the revival of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), Haq said that the fight for the restoration of democracy would now be launched from the APDM platform.

Talking about the amendment to the Presidential Election Rules 1988 of Pakistan, Haq termed it as a clear violation of the Constitution.

"The amendment to the rules, barring the returning officer from rejecting nomination papers, has been made to benefit an individual and we condemn it," the Daily Times quoted Haq, as saying.

"The meeting was of the view that Pakistan is passing through a critical situation and hoped that Saudi Arabia would not stand by the dictator at this critical time," he added.

The alliance of over 30 opposition parties would hold rallies and public meetings on September 21 to register their protest against the deportation of Sharif, arrest of APDM leaders and "police brutality" against PML-N workers on September 10.

ANI