In an effort to undermine President Pervez Musharraf's re-election bid, Pakistan opposition lawmakers on Tuesday submitted their resignations ahead of the October six 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 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 media persons.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, 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.
Tehrik-i-Insaf party chief Imran Khan, a cricketer-turned politician who was the first member to hand over his resignation to the Speaker of the National Assembly, said the move would create 'more obstacles' in the way of Musharraf's re-election bid.
Sixty-two lawmakers from MMA, 21 from PML-N, one each from Tehrik-i-Insaf, Awami National Party and Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party resigned from the National Assembly. Two MMA lawmakers had resigned earlier.
"This was the step at the right time and the objective is to stop General Musharraf from getting re-elected,"
Fazlur Rehman said.
He said the opposition parties have called on traders to observe a shutdown on October six, the date for which the Presidential election is scheduled.
Members of former Premier Benazir Bhutto-led Pakistan Peoples Party did not hand in their resignations.
The opposition deputies gathered at Parliament lodges and went to the National Assembly in a procession to submit their resignations. Around 200 opposition activists, who were chanting slogans against Musharraf, joined their lawmakers, who handed over their resignations to the Speaker in his chamber in Parliament.
According to rules, the resignations are immediately accepted if the members themselves hand them over to the Speaker. The Speaker, however, said he would need time to consider the resignations and to take a decision.
