A large number of Pakistanis are against the postponement of the general elections in the country following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, says a newspaper survey.

Many Pakistanis, who were interviewed, have denounced the postponement of elections to February 18, calling it a move 'to nullify people's sympathies for the Pakistan People's Party and to benefit the outgoing rulers', said the survey conducted by the Daily Times.

However, the paper did not give any figures or details about how many people it had interviewed.

"Delaying the elections is unjustified, and it aims at propping the government's allies up," it quoted Muhammad Asif, a human rights activist, as saying.

Asif said the postponement seemed strange with the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz saying they were ready to contest the elections earlier scheduled for January 8.

Kishwar Sultana, a peace activist, said, "The elections have been deferred to avoid a clean sweep by the PPP". She said the postponing of elections was a 'hostile' move against democracy. "The elections should have been put off only in the areas where the law and order situation was the worst," she added.

Another interviewee Hafiz Habeebullah said, "January 8 was the right time for holding elections". Muhammad Nawaz, a businessman, also opposed the postponement of the elections. "Deferring the polls was not a proper solution for ensuring law and order," he said.