ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 29 -- Pakistan's parliament passed a constitutional amendment Monday that gives President Pervez Musharraf extraordinary powers in return for a promise that he will quit his army post by the end of next year.
Supporters called the legislation a return to democracy, but opponents in parliament staged a walkout and decried the deal as window-dressing on what they say is essentially military rule.
The vote came five days after a surprise deal between Musharraf and a hard-line Islamic political bloc, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which has been highly critical of the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan and has voiced support for that country's ousted Taliban government.
Musharraf has become a key U.S. ally, backing the military action in Afghanistan and arresting more than 500 al Qaeda suspects in Pakistan.
The amendment also came shortly after two assassination attempts against Musharraf, the last occurring on Christmas as his motorcade made its way through a crowded street in Rawalpindi, outside the capital.
The amendment lets Musharraf serve out his term as president, which ends in 2007, and formalizes special powers he had given himself that allowed him to dismiss the prime minister and disband parliament by decree. In return, Musharraf agreed to step down as army chief, the main source of his power, by Dec. 31, 2004.
Under the agreement, Musharraf, a general who came to power in a 1999 military coup, was forced to scale back some of the powers he had decreed himself. He must now consult the prime minister before firing him and seek approval from the Supreme Court within 15 days of taking such action.
The amendment must now go to the Senate, but analysts see approval there -- possibly Tuesday -- as a formality.