KARACHI, March 11: The federal budget will be presented in May and consultations will be held with coalition partners and the opposition on the schedule for general elections, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said here on Sunday.

Talking to reporters after addressing a c o n f e r ence of religious scholars, he said the elections would be held in a free, fair and transparent manner.

Mr Shah said that because of President Asif Ali Zardari`s policy of reconciliation the government had completed four years of its tenure.

The federal minister said conspiracies were hatched against PPP`s governments in every era and people should know who had received how much money.

Addressing the conference, the minister urged ulema to play an active role in the campaign against polio and help spread awareness through their sermons so that people should fully participate in it.

He said polio had been eradicated from most of the world `but we are yet to achieve this goal`.

He stressed that concerted efforts were required to save children from the crippling disease. The ulema assured the minister of their help in efforts to eradicate polio.

Ruet-i-Hilal Committee`s chairman Mufti Munibur Rehman also spoke on the occasion.-APP