KARACHI: Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, said on Tuesday that ‘certain forces’ were conspiring to delay the elections, DawnNews reported.

Nawaz, who was speaking to the media in Jeddah, added that postponing the 2013 polls was against the interests of the nation. He said his party would not allow for such a delay to take place, and that the elections would take place as per schedule.

The PML-N chief’s statements on a ‘conspiracy’ to delay the elections come in the wake of similar statements from Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Senator Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He further told reporters that overseas Pakistanis should be allowed to vote in the upcoming general elections and that it was necessary to pass legislation in this regard.

Nawaz added that the incumbent government was reluctant to pass legislation which would enable overseas Pakistanis to vote.

Last week, Law Minister Farooq H Naek had told the Senate that while overseas Pakistanis had the right to vote, absence of a suitable mechanism for the purpose would render it meaningless, at least for the upcoming general election.

He had stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had enrolled as voters 4.3 million Pakistanis living abroad who possessed national identity cards. But they would be able to cast their votes in the constituencies where they had been registered, for which they must come to Pakistan.