Upping the ante, over 230 opposition lawmakers have resigned from Pakistan's national and provincial assemblies to resist President Pervez Musharraf's re-election bid, as journalists observed a 'Black Day' on Sunday condemning the police action during protests against the General.
Eighty-four members of the National Assembly and 152 of four provincial assemblies from opposition alliance All Parties Democratic Movement submitted their resignations to their respective party leaders, Raja Zafarul Haq, senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N, told reporters in Islamabad.
APDM is headed by exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N.
Haq said the resignations will be submitted to the Speaker National Assembly and respective Speakers of provincial assemblies on October 2, the day after Election Commission displays the final list of candidates for the October 6 Presidential poll.
Journalists all over the country marched with black flags to protest against the tear-gas and baton charge on media persons covering the protests before the Election Commission on Saturday during the scrutiny of nominations for presidential poll.
Sixty-four people were injured, including 13 police officials, 31 journalists, two opposition lawmakers and several passers-by in the clashes, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists decried the government actions as shameful.