ISLAMABAD Nov 29: MNA and chief of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik Dr Mohammad Tahirul Qadri has resigned from the membership of the National Assembly.

Mr Qadri had announced his intention to quit his seat on the floor of the assembly on Oct 15, but the combined opposition persuaded him not to hand over his resignation to the speaker and whisked him away from the House.

He had, however, announced in unequivocal terms that he would definitely send his resignation and has not since attended the NA sessions. He faxed his resignation to the NA speaker on Monday. Mr Qadri has appealed to the 150 opposition members in the lower House to tender their resignations to translate their words into deed.

National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain when asked to comment on his resignation confirmed the receipt of the resignation and promised to consider legal aspects of the matter before it could be accepted.

He described the 41-page resignation more a thesis then resignation which needs time for study before a decision. He said that under normal practice resignation could not be faxed and is sent or handed over on a proper paper. In his resignation Mr Qadri has written about the circumstances and the conclusions on basis of which he had decided to quit the lower house membership.

Contents of his resignation include, introduction, president's broken promises, political corruption and blackmailing, undemocratic system, institutional inability, failure of accountability, sabotage of National Assembly, global issues including Pakistan-US relations, international terrorism and US global domination, Israeli aggression, Iraq war, Islamabad-Delhi relations including Kashmir dispute, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

He has also discussed defence and nuclear policy while discussing at length national/domestic issues like international terrorism and conspiracy, devolution and flawed electoral process, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.

In conclusion, he says: "After passing of the 'Dual-office bill' and another 'broken promise' my personal assessment of the current situation is that our country will be forced towards the introduction of a 'presidential form of government'.

"Even if this does not take place the present parliamentary system and democracy has come to its end. Parliament has disabled itself by cutting its own hands and fingers with an everlasting dictatorship being approved, legislated and constitutionalised, unconstitutionally through this bill.

"Therefore in light of all of these facts I tender my resignation in protest and request all of the 150 opposition MNAs to do likewise. It is time to put words into actions and take a conclusive stand. I thus resign in protest from my NA 127 seat."

As many as 20 pages of the document are appendix-A and B which include a detailed list of 75 countries of the world which were subjected to US intervention since 1947. He has also produced references from the international press in support of his point.

Similarly, Mr Qadri has attached a list of 148 UN Security Council resolutions which were vetoed by the US alone or with it having the support of Israel or UK. In the introduction, he has listed those promises of President Gen Pervez Musharraf which he claimed had forced him to support him, but the president failed to implement any of his promises.