ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has planned to move a no-confidence motion against Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro, sources told Dawn here on Friday.

The sources said the no-trust motion against the Senate chairman had been prepared and at present signatures of members were being obtained on it. They said the motion was being moved against the Senate chairman as part of the opposition's ongoing protest against the passage of the bill which enabled President Pervez Musharraf to continue holding the post of army chief beyond December 31, 2004.

The opposition has already submitted a similar motion against National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain which will be taken up by the lower house for debate and vote on Oct 22.

Meanwhile, the sources said the ARD was considering submitting the motion against the Senate chairman on Oct 19 as the Senate session had already been summoned on Oct 27 to get the bill on uniform passed from the upper house as well.

The opposition sources said if the motion was submitted on Oct 19, then under rules the upper house would take up the motion for debate and voting on Oct 27 and the government would not be able to table the bill at least on the first day.

According to the sources, the decision to submit a no-trust motion against Mr Soomro had been taken by the ARD and the plan would be implemented only after consulting the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA).

When contacted, a senior People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) senator confirmed that the ARD was considering the move. When asked on what basis, he said the chairman had at several times proved that he was 'partial'.

He said the chairman had killed a large number of questions, motions and resolutions of the opposition in his chamber and the opposition members did not have any expectation that he would run the house in an impartial manner when the bill on uniform would be presented in the upper house.

When asked about the possibility of cooperation being sought from the MMA vis-a-vis this move, he said the MMA had already supported a similar move of the ARD in the National Assembly by signing the no-confidence motion against the speaker.