In a joint declaration issued at the end of a weekend conference in London, the All Parties Conference (APC) said that Musharraf's military rule had "brought Pakistan to the edge of a precipice, leading to strife, chaos and the threat of disintegration."

"Parliament has been marginalised, and stripped of all its powers ... Both houses (of parliament) have been reduced to a rubber stamp for the Chief of Army Staff who unconstitutionally occupies the Office of the President," the declaration continued.

The conference came amid increasing domestic turmoil in Pakistan, as authorities in Islamabad on Sunday moved closer to an all-out raid on the besieged Red Mosque after officials said al-Qaeda-linked rebels had seized control and may start killing hostages.

According to government estimates, at least 24 people have been killed in the six days since the siege of the mosque began. The mosque's firebrand deputy leader, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, however told local television that 335 people had died in Sunday's fighting alone.

The siege comes after months of rioting over Musharraf's suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in March, which sparked the biggest crisis of the president's time in power.