Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has set a date for a general election - three years after coming to power in a military coup.

State television interrupted regular programming to announce 10 October as the day for voting for the lower house of parliament or National Assembly.

Bhutto: Banned from return to power

The move came after General Musharraf indicated he would announce more constitutional changes to take place before the poll.

On Saturday, Mr Musharraf passed a decree banning two previous prime ministers - Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto - from holding the office again.

On Wednesday, a court sentenced Ms Bhutto to three years' hard labour for corruption.

The parliament in Pakistan was dissolved when General Musharraf seized power in October 1999, ousting Mr Sharif.

The country's Supreme Court had ordered Mr Musharraf to hold elections by October to restore civilian rule.

State television said the elections for the National Assembly, the Senate and the four provincial assemblies would be held on the same day.

More changes

A government statement after the cabinet meeting said the president would announce a second package of constitutional amendments later this week.

These follow the controversial changes outlined last month to limit the prime minister's authority, enabling the president to name and dismiss the head of government and his cabinet, as well as dissolve parliament unilaterally.

The amendments - widely criticised by the opposition and human rights groups - also included provisions to cut the terms of parliament and prime minister from five years to four.

Saturday's decree bars people who have held the office of prime minister twice in the past from a third term - effectively banning the country's most prominent opposition leaders from returning to power.

It also requires all candidates to be university graduates, which the opposition says rules out almost 98% of Pakistan's population.