ISLAMABAD, 3 January 2005 — Islamic groups in Pakistan said yesterday they will stage new protests against President Pervez Musharraf, who reneged on a pledge he made last year to step down as chief of the powerful army. The opposition’s announcement came a day after hundreds of its supporters rallied in various cities to mark Saturday as “black day” to condemn Musharraf’s decision.

“We demand that Musharraf resign because his position as president and army chief has become controversial,” said Maulana Fazlur Rahman, a lawmaker and a senior figure in the six-party coalition of Islamic groups.

“We demand that he step down to end the crisis and strengthen democracy,” Rahman told reporters after a meeting of senior leaders from the grouping known as Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, or United Action Forum.

Rahman said the first rally against Musharraf will be on Friday, and two others will be held later this month in different cities. In recent weeks, the alliance has held several demonstrations to pressure Musharraf to honor his pledge.

Musharraf, a key ally of the United States in its war against terrorism, promised last year to relinquish the army job and become a civilian head of state by Dec. 31, 2004.

But on Thursday Musharraf officially declared he will continue on as army chief. Generals have ruled Pakistan for most of the time since its independence from British rule in 1947.

Lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party, which supports Musharraf, passed a law last month that allows Musharraf to stay on in both offices through 2007.

Hundreds of supporters of secular and religious groups protested across Pakistan on Saturday against Musharraf’s decision. Holding black flags, about 1,500 protesters marched on a main city road in the southern city of Karachi, while nearly 600 people gathered in the northwestern city of Peshawar. About 350 people took part in a rally in the central city of Multan.

About 150 people gathered for a rally in the eastern city of Lahore. Small rallies were also held in Islamabad and elsewhere. But the rallies did not attract the thousands of protesters that organizers had hoped for, and none of the country’s top opposition leaders attended. Liaquat Baluch, a provincial leader of the MMA, said the rallies were successful nonetheless in marking a “black day.”

In December 2003, Musharraf struck a deal with the coalition, agreeing to relinquish his army post by the end of 2004 in return for its support for constitutional changes allowing him to dismiss Parliament and the prime minister.

He was expected to rule as a civilian until 2007, according to a referendum vote in 2002. But Musharraf has subsequently indicated that he would keep his uniform.

In November, Parliament, which is dominated by pro-Musharraf lawmakers, approved a bill allowing him to remain president and army chief until 2007. In his Thursday address, Musharraf said the opposition must respect the mandate given to him by Parliament.

At a large ruling party-sponsored public meeting Saturday in the eastern city of Gujrat, the president rejected the opposition’s demand that he step down as army chief, saying he didn’t hold the post for personal gain.

“I like to be in civilian dress, but I am in the uniform because the country needs it,” he said. Musharraf asked the opposition to wait for the next parliamentary elections which will be held in 2007. “Right now the country needs (a) good economy, not the rallies.”

Musharraf also asked the opposition to observe the limits of law, state-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan reported. It quoted Musharraf as saying his government had introduced real democracy to the country, and asking the opposition to accept the rule of the majority for Pakistan’s march toward sustainable development. But the opposition said it would continue protests until Musharraf steps down as army chief and institutes “true democracy.”