KARACHI, Oct 20: The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and other democratic opposition parties in the Senate would put up a stiff resistance to the bill envisaging retention of the post of COAS and Presidency by Gen Musharraf.

The bill passed by the National Assembly amid uproar and opposition walkout would come up in the Senate on Oct 27.

Talking to newsmen at Iftar hosted by Rashid Rabbani, the parliamentary leader in the Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani claimed that a consensus had developed among the opposition political parties on the issue of uniform.

In the midst of top leadership of the party, he said that the opposition had matured enough to put up resistance and told a questioner that option of tendering resignations could also be considered at an appropriate time. He alleged that there was dissension within the ruling PML(Q) and many of its leaders were not opening their mouth because of the fear of National Accountability Bureau and the baton.

Raza Rabbani claimed that the bill supporting retention of the two offices by Gen Musharraf had derogated supremacy of the parliament.

The PPP deputy secretary general was of the view that the much trumpeted National Security Council had been made redundant with the passage of this bill in the National Assembly.

He pointed out that the purpose of the bill as claimed by the government was to strengthen democracy and ensure continuity of policies. The underlying fear, he said, was that if the two offices were separated, the previous situation could crop up and everything could be blown to the winds.

He pointed out that the purpose of the NSC was to block the way of any further intervention and ensure continuity of democratic dispensation, but, the passage of the bill on uniform issue had made the NSC move redundant and motive of the regime had been exposed.

Sindh PPP President Syed Qaim Ali Shah reiterated his party's stand on the issue and said that the people had rejected dictators in the past and the same fate was around the corner for the usurpers.

He maintained that Gen Musharraf's insistence on retaining the military post alongwith the presidency was not only in violation of the Constitution, but, was also aimed at permanently keeping the assemblies under threat.

Mr Shah also criticized the government for not providing due share of water to Sindh leaving more people jobless and failing to control violence.

He denied reports that Benazir Bhutto had decided to give up the position of party chairperson and the mantel was passing on to her imprisoned husband, who could become prime minister.

Leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, said that the passage of the resolution urging Gen Musharraf to retain his military post beyond Dec 31 was a diabolical conspiracy against the Constitution, democracy and parliamentary dispensation in the country.

Referring to the bill asking Gen Musharraf to retain the post of the COAS as well, Mr Khuhro said that an Act of parliament could not be superseded by a bill. He said that after Gen Musharraf's shifting stand on uniform issue, he could "not be trusted."

Rashid Rabbani criticized the government for price hike, unemployment, rising incidence of suicide, and deteriorating law and order situation.