LAHORE, June 11: Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani challenged opposition parties on Monday to put up their presidential candidate against Gen Pervez Musharraf, who would be running for a second term in uniform with the backing of the ruling coalition, assuring them that the contest would be transparent.

At a news conference here, he said the presidential election would be free and fair as electoral college comprised the members of parliament and the provincial assemblies, and not ordinary voters who elect people for other offices.

A reporter had asked him how could the presidential election be fair when a uniformed general would be contesting against an ordinary person, if at all the opposition parties decided not to let the office go unchallenged.

The minister said Gen Musharraf would be the ruling coalition’s presidential candidate and opposition parties were free to put up their candidate against him. He said since the opposition parties had been severely criticising the general despite his uniform, there should be no problem for them to bring a challenger against him.

He said the general was retaining his uniform because of the sanction given by parliament and that it was for the bicameral legislature to decide who should or shouldn’t run for the coveted position.

The minister invited the opposition parties to a dialogue to work out a code of conduct to ensure open and honest general elections, due by the end of the current year. He said a formal invitation could be extended if that could satisfy the opposition. Errors in the electoral rolls, if any, could also be discussed in the government-opposition talks, he said.

He told a questioner that the government and the election candidates shared the responsibility for any wrong entries in the electoral rolls.

About the multi-party conference, the PML-N was hosting in London next month, Durrani alleged that looted national wealth was being used to make all arrangements for the MPC. He said huge amounts would be needed to make it possible for the invitees to reach London and stay there.

However, he sidestepped a question whether he could also say the same about the frequent MQM meetings held in the British capital.

He did not offer any comment on the US announcement that the MQM was a terrorist organisation.

“Today we’ll discuss only serious political issues”, replied the minister when a reporter asked him if the government could help Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan lodge a case against the MQM leadership.

Replying to a question, he said Pemra Ordinance would be taken back after the procedural formalities were complete. He said media representatives would prepare a code of conduct in the light of an understanding reached with the president, after which the law ministry would take steps to withdraw the law.

The minister said President Musharraf strongly believed in a free press.

He denied that Gen Musharraf had ever said the ruling party had always left him in the lurch. Similarly, he said the prime minister had never said that some ruling party lawmakers had joined hands with the opposition.

Lauding the federal budget, Durrani said on the basis of its past performance and steps to be taken by the government during the new fiscal, people would vote for it in the elections and enable it to present more budgets.