LAHORE, Sept 4: The government has rejected all demands made by various opposition parties that attended the national conference organized by the Jamaat-i-Islami in Islamabad on Sunday and by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy a day before.

“They will all take part in the elections to be held in 2007, under the supervision of Gen Pervez Musharraf like they have contested recent local elections,” Information Minister and president’s spokesman Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said while talking to Dawn here on Sunday.

The ARD wants the forthcoming general elections held under the supervision of a government of national consensus. Some parties think that the task should be entrusted to the United Nations as all state institutions had failed to ensure free and fair elections.

Asked about the call that Gen Musharraf quit both as president and the army chief, Sheikh Rashid termed the demand daydreaming. This was not the first time that the opposition parties had raised the issue, he said.

Sheikh Rashid said the general elections would be held in 2007, when the present assemblies would complete their constitutional term. He made it clear that there was no possibility of holding the polls before their due date.

The minister dismissed as a ‘hollow threat’ ARD’s directive to its legislators to submit their resignations to the alliance leadership.

The minister believes that the legislators would not submit their resignations. However, he said, in case they did, the government would hold by-elections on all seats vacated by them.

In his opinion, the opposition was not in a position to create any crisis.

Answering a question about the opposition’s demand that the Constitution be restored excluding all amendments made since October 1999, the minister said this was not possible.

He reminded the religious parties that they had voted for Gen Musharraf as president, after which they were left with little justification to question his credentials or seek the restoration of the status quo ante.

He said the opposition was following no principles and this had been vindicated when they had made adjustments with the Awami National Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.