LAHORE: More than 98 per cent of the people participating in a referendum on Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009 (previously Kerry-Lugar bill) have  rejected the US aid, ‘increasing’ US interference in the country and ‘pro-US’ policies of the rulers, Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Syed Munawar Hasan said here on Saturday. 

Announcing referendum results at a press conference in Mansoora, the JI chief said a total of 21.97 million men and women cast their vote in the referendum and 21.76 million of them voted against the US aid. Some 79,653 votes were rejected. 

Mr Hasan said 13.26 million votes were cast in Punjab and 13.15 million of these were against the US aid. In Sindh, 4.4 million votes were cast and 4.38 million of these were against the aid.

In NWFP, 2.94 million votes were cast and 2.92 million of these rejected the aid. Similarly, in Balochistan, 3.1 million votes were cast and 2.96 million of these were against the aid. As many as 201,451 votes were received through e-mail and 156,269 of these were against the US aid.

Mr Hasan described the US legislation as a ‘treaty of surrender’ and ‘a cause of humiliation and disgrace’ for the entire nation. He said the masses showed enthusiasm in the referendum. He thanked the media for ‘analysing’ the aid bill and building up public opinion on it and the press for coverage of Friday’s referendum.

The JI chief asked the government to present a balance sheet on the quantum of terrorism prior to the beginning of the military operation to indicate if there had been a fall in the menace or there had been many times increase since.

He said the prime minister should lay before the parliament a balance sheet on the gains and losses from the Confidence Building Measures with India over the last eight years, especially in the light of recent threats from the Indian leadership of direct attack on Islamabad in case of any terrorist activity on their land.