Key Musharraf decision expected

Gen Musharraf says he will stay on as army chief if he is not re-elected

Pakistan's Supreme Court is expected to decide whether President Pervez Musharraf can run for re-election while holding the position of army chief.

Gen Musharraf registered for the ballot on Thursday.

The main opposition alliance has announced a parliamentary boycott in protest at Gen Musharraf's plans to stand again for office.

The alliance said its members would resign from parliament and the four provincial assemblies on 2 October.

"The nine judges hearing the petitions are expected to deliver a ruling after the final arguments on Friday," a Supreme Court official told AFP news agency.

Gen Musharraf's lawyers have said he will stand down as army chief if he is elected for another presidential term.

We have reached a consensus decision to resign from parliament Maulana Fazlur Rehman, MMA leader Timeline: Political rivals Order to free opposition

Pakistan's president is not elected by the people, but by a ballot of federal and provincial assemblies.

Earlier this week the United States called on Gen Musharraf to ensure the election - due on 6 October - is free and fair.

He is a key ally in America's "war on terror" but observers say Washington is worried about his declining popularity and the increasing problems of militancy in the country.

Opposition parties and lawyers have been campaigning to remove President Musharraf since he sacked the chief justice in March.

There are more than 40 candidates for the presidential election. None are expected to be a serious challenge to Gen Musharraf.

One candidate, Wajihuddin Ahmad, has now challenged Gen Musharraf's eligibility to stand with the Election Commission.

Among his objections, Mr Ahmad says that Gen Musharraf has failed to disclose his university qualifications, a mandatory requirement.

Credibility question

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a leader of the powerful MMA religious alliance, told a news conference in Peshawar on Thursday that the group had agreed to resign from parliament.

Opposition leaders say the election is illegal

The MMA is a major part of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) which was formed during protests earlier this year.

It is in power in North West Frontier Province and is a coalition partner in government in Balochistan.

The other main player in the APDM is the Pakistan Muslim League faction of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose power base is in Punjab province.

Alliance leaders say they will collect resignations from their members in the various assemblies and submit them on 2 October.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Karachi says the resignations are not enough to pose a legal or numerical problem for Gen Musharraf's re-election - and will in fact make it easier for him to demonstrate a clearer margin of parliamentary support.

KEY DATES 02 Oct: Date main opposition alliance to begin boycotting assemblies 06 Oct: Presidential vote to be held, election commission says 18 Oct: Date ex-PM Benazir Bhutto has set for her homecoming 15 Nov: Parliamentary term ends and general election must be held

But the move may help erode the credibility of an electoral exercise already steeped in controversies, our correspondent says.

If MPs from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto, another former PM, also resign, the election could become a farce, he adds.

The PPP is not a part of the main opposition alliance, and has been seeking a power-sharing deal with Gen Musharraf.

As well as Gen Musharraf, a retired judge filed his nomination for the presidential ballot on Thursday. Analysts say he has little chance of winning.

The PPP also nominated a candidate, who it says will run if the Supreme Courts bars Gen Musharraf from standing and the election still goes ahead.