Bahrain's king pledges further reform Bahrain's king has pledged to grant additional powers to the troubled Gulf state's elected parliament as tensions rise ahead of the pro-democracy uprising's anniversary next month. King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa said on Sunday that he would issue decrees to introduce constitutional changes, such as granting parliament the right to question ministers and approve the appointed cabinet, which is dominated by members of the ruling family. Our loyal people have demonstrated that their will, despite all events, is devoted to continuing the reform project . . . Today we will continue this march with anyone who has genuine patriotic desire for further progress," he said in a televised address. The king's reform pledges reflect proposals put forward by politicians and civil society groups last summer as part of a national dialogue he convened in the wake of the protests. At the time the opposition rejected this dialogue as a loyalists" club. The king initiated the dialogue three months after Saudi Arabia led Gulf troops on to the island in mid-March to provide back up for the government crackdown on swelling protests. Sunday's announcement is unlikely to diminish the rising fervour of daily protests that flare across the island, led by the majority Shia community whose leaders want an elected government. "This won't impact the situation, rather it could make things worse, reaffirming the idea that genuine reform is impossible for this regime," said Matar Matar, a member of al-Wefaq, the main opposition group. Opposition groups say announcements of apparently conciliatory gestures coincide with harsh treatment of protesters, who continue to confront security forces in clashes largely confined to Shia villages. "The contradiction between promises and attacks on the ground in Bahrain is too much, and the international community is silent about this," said Mr Matar. Three people died over the weekend, including a youth whose body was found washed up on a beach off the capital two days after going missing and - according to activists - bore the marks of torture. An elderly woman died after being exposed to tear gas and the mother of a protester detained last year died from self-immolation. The minority Sunni-led government has denied any responsibility for the deaths. Last year the king appointed an independent inquiry into human rights abuses, which criticised the authorities for systematic torture and excessive use of force in the crackdown and called for reforms and mechanisms to hold officials to account. The government says more than a third of the inquiry's recommendations have been implemented in the six weeks since its publication, such as reviewing military court verdicts in civil courts. Executive orders are being signed "every week" with the aim of enacting all recommendations by the end of February, it says. The government has appointed experts to institutionalise reforms to the security forces and judiciary, while promising to return sacked employees to work. Last week the Formula 1 motor racing circuit said it reinstated dismissed Shia employees ahead of a planned return of the Bahrain grand prix in April after the cancellation of last season's event.