Lahore: Pakistani lawyers on October 21 threatened to launch a nationwide protest if newly-elected Parliamentarians swear an oath under military ruler President Pervez Musharraf's amended version of the Constitution.

"All amendments made by Musharraf are illegal, aimed at prolonging his dictatorial regime," Supreme Court Bar Association president Hamid Khan told a news conference after a meeting of several lawyers' associations.

"We call upon all political and religious parties and their members-elect in the national and provincial assemblies not to take an oath if it is linked with the Legal Framework Order (LFO)."

Hamid Khan declared that the LFO, issued by Musharraf on August 21 to validate all orders issued by him after seizing power in a military coup in October 1999, had "no legal validity" and could not be considered part of the Constitution.

Musharraf is due to announce this week a date for the convening of the first civilian national Assembly after three years of military rule.

The hung Parliament thrown up by the October 10 general elections has sent the major parties into flurries of negotiations, but none have settled on a governing coalition.

The second and third largest seat winners, the Opposition Pakistan People's Party and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of fundamentalist Islamic parties, have said they would only take an oath under the pre-Musharraf Constitution.

"The ball is now in the political parties' court," Khan said, recalling an agreement between Opposition parties and legal associations in Lahore in September to undo the amendments.

"We expect them to implement the decision.

"The lawyers' community will launch a countrywide protest movement if the parties did not fulfil their promise."

The most controversial of the 29 amendments are the establishment of a civilian- military National Security Council to oversee the future government and sweeping Presidential powers to sack the elected Parliament.