Islamabad, July 24: Brushing aside speculations, Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said general elections would be held on schedule in October and political parties would be allowed to campaign at "suitable time." "The dates will not be changed at any cost... Reports about postponement of elections are baseless," he told five delegations of political parties who visited him yesterday.

"The government would ensure that elections are held in a free, fair and transparent manner," he said.
Musharraf claimed his government was sincerely trying to move towards a sustainable democracy.

"It appears a consensus has emerged on a number of proposed amendments while some sections have reservations on a few proposals," he claimed.
Musharraf told the politicians that the basic structure of 1973 constitution would not be changed.

"Amendment would be made after getting proper feedback from the people and the politicians," he said.

Musharraf said the national reconstruction bureau is considering a proposal to restore reserved seats for minorities in the national assembly.

The politicians expressed their reservations on the proposed constitutional packages and told him that the responsibility of amending the constitution should be left for the elected Parliament.

"We have urged the President not to touch the constitution," Aftab Sherpao of the PPP (Sherpao) told 'The Nation' daily after the meeting.

Bureau Report