Lawyers on Monday named a prominent retired judge as a candidate against military ruler Pervez Musharraf in the October 6 Presidential elections.

Justice (retd) Wajeehuddin Ahmed was among those few judges who had refused to show allegiance to Musharraf when he dismissed the government of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999.

Wajeehuddin had quit as a Supreme Court judge after refusing to take oath under a Provincial Constitutional Order, issued by Musharraf after he suspended the Constitution. “The lawyers’ community has nominated retired Justice Wajeehuddin Ahmed as their candidate to challenge General Musharraf,” Tariq Mehmood, a representative of the lawyers association opposing the Pakistan President’s re-election bid, told reporters at the Supreme Court building.

“We ask the government not to create hurdles for lawyers to submit nomination papers of Justice Ahmed with the Election Commission on September 27,” Mehmood said.

The Election Commission has set September 27 for submission of nomination papers for the Presidential polls.

Mehmood said Wajeehuddin would also raise objections over the nomination of Musharraf when the Commission will hold scrutiny of papers of Presidential candidates.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Musharraf, also the army chief, would be a candidate of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q and its allies. The PML-Q and its allied groups say they enjoy the required majority for securing re-election.

The major opposition alliance, the All Parties Democratic Alliance (APDM) said its members in National and provincial assemblies will resign in protest if Musharraf goes ahead with his plans to contest Presidential elections.