The ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Thursday demanded initiation of legal proceedings against former President Pervez Musharraf under article 6 of the constitution, the official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

"This step will help close the doors of martial law in the country in the future," said party leaders Aurangzaib Burki, Hasnat Ahmad and Salim Mughal in a joint statement.

On July 31, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule and dismiss dozens of senior judges in Nov. 3, 2007 was unconstitutional.

The judiciary had played its role for declaring Nov. 3 step as unconstitutional and now the parliament has to play its due role in this regard, they added.

They said that Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani had assured the parliament in his speech that if the Parliament passes a unanimous resolution on the issue, the government would implement it.

They said that PPP had never been involved in giving protection to the acts of dictators and it would never do so.

Police in Islamabad on Tuesday registered a case against Musharraf for illegally detaining top judges during 2007 emergency rule a day after a court called for registration of the case.

Up to 60 judges including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, were sacked and put under house arrest when they refused to show loyalty to Musharraf.

Musharraf was charged under various sections which carry at least a three-year jail term, said Liaquat Niazi, Deputy Suprintendant of Police at Secretariate Police Station, where the case was registered.

But police officers said Wednesday that without direct orders issued by the Pakistani government, police would not be able to arrest, or even question, the former president.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2009)