ABBOTTABAD, Aug 31: Veteran politician Air Marshal (retired) Asghar Khan has observed that the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has endangered the integrity of the country.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club here on Thursday, he asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to quit all offices.

He said a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and with members from political parties should be formed to choose the head of an interim government and hold fresh general election.

He said exiled political leaders should be allowed to return to the country and contest the polls. He said the interim setup should eliminate the role of agencies in the election.

Mr Khan said the country could be extricated of the crisis if the 1973 Constitution was brought to its original form and section 58(2B) was removed.

He accused the army of not allowing democracy to flourish in the country, adding that the country was passing through a difficult phase.