HYDERABAD, Aug 5: Federal information, broadcasting and media development minister Nisar Memon has said that the draft of the constitutional amendments would be finalized in a week and then it would be placed before the cabinet for approval.

Talking to newsmen at the local circuit house on Sunday night, he disclosed that as per consensus of the people, only limited amendments had been proposed while the remaining ones would be left to the elected parliament.

Memon said that Nazims were an integral part of the local government system and the government will not oppose them as it would undermine the nascent system.

He said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had taken a notice of the on-going war of words between the Nazims and the provincial ministers in Sindh and asked Governor Mohemmedmian Soomro to resolve the controversy.

He made it clear that come what may, the general elections would be held according to the schedule.

The minister announced that he would not be a candidate in the coming elections.

Answering a question, he said that there was no ban on the governors or the provincial ministers under the constitution to contest the elections. He, however, said that the governors and the ministers, wanting to contest the elections, would have to resign from their posts and follow the rules and regulations announced by the election commission.

He said that due to the corrective steps taken by the government, the country for the first time had seven billion dollar foreign exchange reserves.

He, however, saiad that the price hike had not been controlled and the relief had not been passed on to the common man. He claimed that in the due course of time, the people would witness visible changes.

About the breach in the Rohri Canal, Memon said that the provincial government had already ordered an inquiry into the incident and claimed that the relief work was going at full speed.

He said that a proposal was under consideration to provide relief to the affected people through Baitulmaal and Zakat funds.

Earlier, he told journalists in Pir Jhando village near New Saeedabad that there was no ban on the political parties to present their programme to the people and added that the political leaders had also been provided an opportunity to express their views on TV.

He said that the president was concerned about the problems of the poor people and added that Rs6 billion had been released through the Zakat committees to rehabilitate the unemployed youth on permanent basis.

Memon said that complaints had been received about the embezzlement in the Zakat funds for which high powered committees had been appointed to investigate these allegations