Islamabad: The apparently 'premature announcement' of dates for the general elections in Pakistan has taken a new twist with a federal minister saying he was 'misquoted' and another telling reporters that the government had not decided on the poll dates yet.

The issue has also alerted Pakistan's opposition that may seek to thwart the government's election plans by resigning from the legislatures so as to prevent President Pervez Musharraf from being re-elected to the post, media reports said. 

Raza Rabbani, leader of the Opposition in Pakistan's senate ridiculed the announcement and said the opposition parties would work to force the resignation of its lawmakers from the legislatures to thwart Musharraf's re-election bid.

The opposition parties have been contesting that the legislatures, as part of an electoral college that had already elected Musharraf once, cannot be used to re-elect him again.

"The problem here is not procedural but political", The Daily Times said in an editorial.

A day after announcing a timetable for general elections in January 2008 and for the re-election of Musharraf before that date, Azim, minister of state for information and broadcasting in the federal government said he was 'misquoted' as he was only stating the constitutional position.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammed Ali Durrani said the government had not yet decided on the poll dates.

Azim had also been quotedby the media as saying that the candidate for prime minister's post would be the current incumbent Shaukat Aziz.

However, Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, chief of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid), himself perceived as a contender for the post of prime minister, dismissed it as Azim's 'personal view'.

"Most observers think that efforts will be made to tweak the system into throwing up the majority needed at the Centre and provinces to give President Musharraf the votes he needs after the next general elections to become president," the newspaper said.

"If, however, the current assemblies are asked to provide the needed support, a lot of strings will have to be pulled quickly," the editorial said.

"Since all efforts made in the past to make the politicians vote against their will have resulted in disorder and massive distribution of the spoils, the nation is guessing hard and almost everyone is full of misgivings. Will the elections be rigged or pre-rigged?" he said.