KARACHI, March 16: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a major partner of the ruling coalition, has distanced itself from the presidential reference filed against Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in the Supreme Judicial Council, saying “neither the party was taken into confidence nor consulted on the issue”.

The MQM which has been keeping quiet on the issue since the action was taken again Justice Iftikhar, broke its silence on Friday and its supreme leader Altaf Hussain said that his party had never been consulted -- neither before nor after the filing of the reference.

However, he maintained that the issue of presidential reference was purely a legal and constitutional issue.

According to a statement issued from London, he said that as a patriotic Pakistani, he would appeal to the government to resolve the issue in accordance with the law and the Constitution. He also stressed the need for ending suppression of protests and unrest on the issue.

Mr Hussain said that the country was at a critical juncture and there was a need to resolve all disputes through dialogue and avoid arrests and raids.

He said that all the arrested political leaders, workers and lawyers should be immediately released.

He also appealed to opposition leaders to strive to resolve the matter peacefully, in accordance with the law and the Constitution, instead of using the emotional way of launching protests.

The MQM leader also urged the government to respect freedom of the press and not to exert unlawful pressure or impose illegal restrictions on the media.