ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: The opposition PML-N has alleged that conspiracies are being hatched to postpone general elections and called for immediate announcement of date for the polls.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, PML-N Deputy Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal praised the chief election commissioner’s statement that elections would be held on time and in a free, fair and transparent manner.

But he expressed concern that some forces baffled by his party’s success in recent by-elections were conspiring to get the polls postponed.

He said the masses were ready to bring about a change through the ballot and would not allow anyone to rig the elections. Pakistan’s future, he said, was linked with the continuation of democratic process.

In a clear reference to Dr Tahirul Qadri and MQM chief Altaf Hussain, he said two leaders holding dual nationality would not be allowed to take the country hostage. Both of them are not qualified to contest elections under the law and they want to get the polls postponed.

“People are aware of the revolution Altaf Hussain and Tahirul Qadri want to bring about”, Mr Iqbal said.

He claimed that Dr Qadri had spent Rs1 billion on advertisements for the show he staged in Lahore — a reference to Dec 23 public meeting addressed by him — and said his motive was an open secret.

“If the reforms he talks about are so important, why he did not call for them months ago and has chosen a time when the polls are round the corner.”

Referring to Dr Qadri’s plan for a march on Islamabad, he said he feared a civil war-like situation might emerge if parties opposed to the move decided to come out against him.

Discussing the likely outcome of the elections, the PML-N leader said it would be disastrous for the country if the PPP was voted to power again or the elections brought in a hung parliament.

But he expressed the hope that his party would win the polls with a comfortable majority as it had done in recent bye-elections.

He said the PML-N would announce on Jan 5 its election manifesto which would envisage a roadmap for steering the country out of the crisis that it was facing and making it an Asian tiger.

He said he was amazed over the speeches of President Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Thursday’s public meeting in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh and said it appeared that they were addressing an opposition rally. He said the people were expecting that the PPP would present a list of achievements it had made during its five-year rule and its post-election plans but the speeches focused on criticism of the judiciary.