Over 230 lawmakers resign in Pak

ISLAMABAD: Upping the ante against the government, over 230 Opposition lawmakers have resigned from Pakistan’s national and provincial assemblies to resist President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election bid, even as journalists observed a ‘Black Day’ on Sunday, condemning the police action during protests against General Musharraf. Eighty-four members of the National Assembly and 152 of four provincial assemblies from Opposition alliance All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) submitted their resignation to their respective party leaders, Raja Zafarul Haq, senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), told reporters here.

The APDM is headed by exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s PML (N). Mr Haq said the resignations would be submitted to the speaker of the National Assembly and speakers of the provincial assemblies on October 2, the day after the Election Commission displays the final list of candidates for the presidential poll scheduled for October 6.

Journalists all over the country marched with black flags on Sunday to protest against police resorting to firing of tear-gas and baton charge on mediapersons covering the protests before the Election Commission here on Saturday during the scrutiny of nominations for presidential poll.