A petition challenging the 15th constitutional amendment to enforce Islamic law in the country was filed by a supreme court advocate, Sultan Bahadur, saying if the proposed amendment got through, it would undermine the independence of judiciary and the fundamental rights guaranteed by the country's constitution.

President Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, Premier Sharif and the Federation of Pakistan through the Ministry of Law have been named as respondents by the petitioner, who urged the apex court to strike down the proposed bill after declaring it is ultra vires of the constitution, media reports said.

The bill was announced by Sharif during his nationally televised address at the floor of parliament promising that through it his government intended to establisha welfare Islamic state in Pakistan by making Quran and Sunnah (sayings of the Prophet) as the supreme law of the land.

The bill intends to give unprecedented power to the government to ``do what is right and to stop what is wrong'' and empowers it to undertake legislations for enforcing Islamic law with a simple majority of parliament.

The proposed bill has already been cleared by the standing committee of the national assembly but discussions on it is yet to start though it has already been moved.

The bill has generated a lot of controversy with opposition parties, led by Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), mustering support to oppose it on the floor of parliament and religious groups coming out in support of it.

The bill is expected to face a tough time in the upper house senate as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League has a simple majority in it whereas it needs at least a two-third majority.

However, it is likely to have a smooth passage from the national assembly where the ruling partyhas the required majority.