A human rights group claims it has proof Monday's election will be rigged.

A recording has been released by Human Rights Watch, which was apparently made before the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The tape allegedly records the attorney-general saying politicians will fix the election result.

On Thursday President Pervez Musharraf insisted the forthcoming elections would be free, fair, and peaceful.

But he strongly criticised recent opinion polls by US groups that indicated the opposition parties were headed for a landslide victory.

Meanwhile, police in Pakistan have revealed they have seized bomb-making materials and arrested ten suspected Taliban-linked militants in Karachi.

Police said the militants had a long list of targets including politicians, law enforcers, businessmen and army officials.

"They had plans to disrupt the election", Karachi police inspector Azhar Farooqi said.

The arrests took place in January but were only announced on Friday after investigations, he said.

Karachi was the scene of a suicide bomb attack in October which narrowly missed Mrs Bhutto, but claimed the lives of some 150 others.

The former prime minister was killed ten weeks later in a second attack.

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