RAWALPINDI, June 24: The government would lift ban on political activities on July 12, said federal law minister Dr Khalid Ranjha here on Monday.

Speaking at “Meet the Press” programme at the Press Club, Dr Ranjha said: “The government would announce schedule for general elections on July 12 with which the ban on political activities would go.”

The minister said the government would release the package of constitutional amendments in the first week of July for debate. Replying to a question, he said, anyone qualifying to contest elections would be allowed to contest.

He denied that some people were being deliberately kept out of the electoral process.

“Keeping someone out or allowing someone to contest would be a process of the law and no specific amendments are being planned to debar someone from running for the parliamentary elections,” he said.

Qualifications and disqualifications for contesting parliamentary elections are clearly enunciated in the law and anyone desiring to contest would have to fulfil those conditions, he said.

Commenting on the education condition for the contestants, he said the government is serious to persist with the condition. “In case it is challenged in the court, the government would honour court’s decision,” he said.

The decision to impose education condition is based on the popular demand that the legislators should be educated and should be able to read and comment on the laws, Dr Ranjha said.