Islamabad: The Constitutional crisis in Pakistan over President Pervez Musharraf's Presidency and his controversial Consitutional amendments deepened, with the Opposition disrupting the National Assembly session forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till April 18.

The House was adjourned to April 18 by Speaker Amir Hussain minutes after it was convened on April 16, as Opposition members from moderate parties and the Islamist alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA) shouted slogans denouncing the legal framework order (LFO), which incorporated the Constitutional amendments conferring sweeping powers on Musharraf and legalised his election through a referendum in 2002.

Chanting slogans like "no LFO no" and "go Musharraf go", Opposition members surrounded the Speaker's rostrum ignoring his calls for order.

Members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) remained silent throughout the chaos as the Opposition disrupted the proceedings.

The National Assembly was convened as 'trial' run before Musharraf's address to the joint sessions of the National Assembly and Senate, a Constitutional requirement, planned for April 21.

The PML-Q leaders, who negotiated with MMA for several weeks said that the Opposition would make noisy protests, but in the end allow his address to take place.

The talks, however, collapsed few days ago as Musharraf agreed to scale down his powers as President but declined to quit as chief of Army as demanded by MMA.

PTI