MUZAFFARABAD, April 4: Speakers at a function here on Thursday termed the referendum to be held by the military government a farce and called upon Gen Pervez Musharraf to desist from measures that could tarnish the credibility of the October general election.

The function was held at the press club here under the aegis of the AJK People’s Party to mark the 23rd death anniversary of the party’s founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

While recounting the services of Bhutto for the country, the Muslim Ummah and the Kashmiris, the speakers said: “It was unfortunate that Bhutto’s dynamic daughter was being denied basic rights by the sitting regime.”

Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto was a recognized leader of the world and the elections without her would be a mock exercise, they observed and vowed that every worker of the party, from Sindh to Azad Kashmir, would resist “attempts to keep her out of fray.”

They remarked that the referendum should be held only to seek the opinion of the people whether they supported the election of the President through the referendum so that “this back-door channel” was closed for good.

Former AJK minister and AJKPP Information Secretary Khawaja Farooq Ahmed said Bhutto had given the downtrodden the courage to speak and fight for their rights, brought politics out of the drawing rooms and committed to Kashmiris to fight for 1,000 years for their freedom.

He warned the military government that polls without Benazir Bhutto would be a futile exercise and would not get recognition from the world community.

“If President Musharraf has trust in his performance of past three years, he should not stop our leader from taking part in the polls.

When the President says he has brought the country out of the crises, he should let the people vindicate his claims by providing them free, fair and impartial opportunity to cast their votes.”

Former deputy speaker of the AJK Legislative Assembly, Syed Shoukat Naqvi, called upon the military government to restore civil liberties and allow political activities ahead of the polls so that the exercise could truly reflect the choice of the masses.

A resolution called upon Ms Bhutto to return home.