Islamabad : In the backdrop of mounting protests against the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Pakistan's opposition alliances have asked the Chief Justice to set up a judicial commission to inquire into the incident.

At an all-party conference in Lahore yesterday, leaderes of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis Amal (MMA) also asked the apex court to stop "steps being taken by the military leadership against the federal parliamentary system". The speakers warned of "disastrous consequences" of the killing of Bugti, who headed the Jamhoori Watan Party and other policies of the military leadership.

Later reading out from a joint statement, senior MMA leader Liaqat Baloch told reporters that opposition legislators from Punjab would stage a sit-in outside the state assembly to protest the killing of Bugti. He also announced support for the September 12 strike call given by the Balochistan-based parties and said the central leaders of the opposition parties had been requested to ensure that the strike was observed at national level.

The joint statement said national unity had been endangered by the way the military leadership had portrayed the people of Punjab as "rivals" to their brethren in other federating units. "We assure the people of Balochistan that we will defend their democratic and constitutional rights in parliament and at public level," it said. The statement made it clear that "Musharraf was not acceptable to the nation with or without uniform." PTI