ISLAMABAD, Aug 27: All opposition groups, alliances and parties in the National Assembly on Friday announced that they would work together for the restoration of true democracy in the country.

Speaking at a press conference after walking out of the National Assembly following their boycott of the election for the leader of the house, they said they would work in close coordination to put an end to the political role of the civil and military bureaucracy and salvage the image of Pakistan as a democratic nation.

They demanded that military operation being conducted in tribal areas and Balochistan be stopped and political dialogue held to resolve problems. The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) chairman and PPP parliamentary leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim said the civil and military bureaucracy in Pakistan had been working in collusion since the independence to sabotage democracy and that history was being repeated with frequent changes of prime ministers. First, they brought in Jamali, then Shujaat and now Shaukat Aziz, he said.

He regretted that the speaker had refused to issue production orders of Javed Hashmi, a consensus candidate of the entire opposition to fight against Mr Aziz, despite the fact that he had qualified for the contest.

The leader of the opposition and secretary-general of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, said the induction of a third prime minister in one and a half years was a negation of democratic values as one premier had been booted out without any reason and another was brought in without sufficient justification.

He was of the view that a dictatorial military junta, imposed on the country's polity, was playing musical chairs by nominating one prime minister after another.

The MMA leader referred to what he called riggings witnessed in the recent by-polls in Tharparkar and Attock and said: "Polling agents of opposition candidates were harassed, detained and stopped from reaching polling stations."

Maulana Fazl condemned the continued economic blockade and military operation in the South Waziristan Agency and demanded withdrawal of security forces from the region.

He also criticized the ongoing crackdown on seminaries and the extra-judicial killing of two religious leaders in Faisalabad. He stressed the need for ending military operation in Balochistan, and said: "We are against military operation, anywhere in the country."

The president and parliamentary leader of the MMA, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, warned Gen Pervez Musharraf against deviating from the requirement of the 17th Amendment which bound him to quit army chief's post before Dec 31, 2004.

If Gen Musharraf violated the constitutional provision, he would be liable to be proceeded against under Article 6 of the Constitution, he said. He said it was unfortunate that Gen Musharraf had become an ally of the United States in its clash with Islamic civilization.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, acting parliamentary leader of the PML-Nawaz, said that officials who had earlier assured not to object to the candidature of Mr Hashmi raised objection at the behest of 'hidden forces'.

Mehmud Khan Achakzai said that after taking over power Gen Musharraf had pledged a restructuring of the government, but he handed over the leadership to agencies and political role to the army generals. Maimoona Hashmi, MNA and the daughter of the imprisoned PML-N leader, also spoke at the press conference.