Islamabad: Pakistan has set a four-day deadline for independents who win National Assembly seats to side with a political party, or miss out on a say in the allocation of 70 seats reserved for women and minorities, a minister said on October 10.

Law Minister Khalid Ranjha told AFP that independents would not be forced to join a party, but added, "No independent member will have the option to join any political party after the expiry of the deadline."

The law was announced late October 9 night on the eve of Pakistan's first national elections since President Pervez Musharraf, the Army Chief, seized power in a 1999 coup.

Ranjha said the move was aimed at enabling successful independents to take part in elections for 60 seats reserved for women and 10 seats allotted to non-Muslim minorities in the National Assembly.