ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Dr Qadri had announced his resignation from his National Assembly seat on the floor of the House in October after the Lower House passed the uniform bill allowing President Gen Pervez Musharraf to hold two offices beyond Dec 31.

Dr Qadri in his resignation said the passage of the uniform bill was a dark chapter in the history of Pakistan. The Speaker accepted Dr Qadri's resignation after confirming it through official procedure that the resignation was voluntary and genuine.

The two month's delay in the acceptance of the resignation was caused as the same was earlier sent by fax to the Speaker. The fax resignation had to be confirmed before it could be accepted, said an official.

The official said the Speaker wrote a letter to Dr Qadri who confirmed that he would not like to sit in the House. "I hereby resign from my National Assembly seat, NA 127, under the illegal rule of the uniform," Dr Qadri said in his resignation statement.

With the formal acceptance of Dr Qadri's resignation, the Speaker would notify the Election Commission to take necessary steps to fill the vacancy of NA 127, Lahore-X. Sources said the ARD would formulate a joint strategy to tackle the new situation and how to contest the election on the vacant seat.