KARACHI, April 30: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has stated that following rejection of the unconstitutional referendum by the people, Gen Pervez Musharraf ought to announce resignation from the office of President.

Paying tributes, particularly to the people of Sindh on “full boycott” of the unconstitutional referendum, PML Sindh Acting President, Mamnoon Hussain and Central Vice President, Mian Ejaz Shafi, while addressing an emergency press conference on Tuesday, demanded that a caretaker government should be set up immediately to hold elections, and after transfer power to the elected representatives, the Army should return to the barracks.

“Despite granting the right to vote to youth of 18 years, the polling stations presented a deserted look,” Mamnoon Hussain said and claimed that people would not accept the bogus results as not more than two per cent votes had been cast.

Mian Ejaz Shafi said that the referendum had exposed the claim of popularity of Pervez Musharraf, who had given nothing to the nation and the country except soaring prices, unemployment, downsizing and enhanced rates of power, petrol and gas. These have forced countless people to commit suicide and the law and order situation has worsened, the latest example being the murders of Dr Nishat Malik and Mustapha Kamal Rizvi, he added.

ARD: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, on Tuesday, also paid tributes to the nation for not participating in the “unconstitutional move of holding the referendum”, and said that the response it met with is an example of the high level of awareness among the masses.

Shah Mohammad Shah, president of ARD Sindh, told reporters in a press conference in Karachi that refusal to the presidential referendum by the masses is a message to the concerned quarters that the people of Pakistan are not in favor of Army rule in the county.

He claimed that around 2 to 3 per cent votes were cast in the referendum and still it is unclear how many votes were against the government.

He suggested to the rulers to voluntarily step down and leave the office, as per Musharraf’s announcement that if he was not voted to power by the masses, he would resign.