April 3, 2002	Wednesday	Muharram 19,1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

PESHAWAR, April 2: The Awami National Party (ANP) has objected to the proposed referendum, saying that it will be contrary to the procedure laid down in the Constitution for the election of president.

Haji Mohammad Adeel, central information secretary of the ANP, in a press release issued here on Tuesday, said the party had supported some of the steps taken by the government, but “we do not agree with the political programme of President General Pervez Musharraf.”

“Amendment to the Constitution is the right of the elected parliamentarians alone and there is no room for presidential referendum,” he said.

Haji Adeel said the Constitution had given equal right of votes to all the provinces, but in the proposed referendum, Punjab province had been given the right of vote according to its population, which was the negation of the Constitution, he added.

In the proposed referendum, whatever Punjab decided that would be the decision of the whole country, he said, and opined that it could create conflicts among the provinces. “Every province had equal right of votes and if one province is given priority over the other that would lead to complete failure of the political programme of the government.”

The ANP leader was also critical of the new delimitations announced by the Election Commission, and said the electorate of the NWFP would suffer due to it.

Criticising the provincial government, he said it was not sincere in solving the problems of doctors and patients. Levy of 15 per cent general sales tax (GST) on medicine would add to the miseries of poor patients, he added.

He also suggested: “It will be better if the provincial government changed the name of the NWFP on the eve of the centenary celebration of the province.”