Pakistani lawyers are agitating for the restoration of sacked judges[AFP]

Announcing the package on Saturday, Asif Ali Zardari, PPP's leader, said the amendments would curb Musharraf's power and strengthen the parliament.
 
Zardari said the government would open talks with Musharraf, the former army chief, on the package and would also discuss it with all political parties.
 
"We intend to walk him away, rather than impeach him away," Zardari said when asked if his government wanted to remove the former military strongman who became a civilian head of the government last year.

Zardari also said the proposed bill, which would require a two-third majority in the parliament for approval, would be presented to the parliament as soon as possible.

Under the proposed bill the president's powers to appoint the chiefs of the army, navy and air force would be transferred to the prime minister and parliament would appoint the chief election commissioner.

Lawyers urged

Pakistan's deposed chief justice has meanwhile urged lawyers to press on with their campaign to restore judges ousted by Musharraf.

Musharraf declared emergency rule in November and ousted dozens of judges to avoid legal challenges to his rule.

Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, the deposed top judge, told thousands of lawyers in Faisalabad on Sunday that the Supreme Court had passed an order restricting the president's actions on November 3, the same day the emergency was declared.

Chaudhry said those who violated the order would be "punished".

Pakistan's new government has been bogged down in differences over how to bring back the judges, prompting the lawyers' movement to plan a new round of protests in June.

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