KARACHI, April 3: National Peoples Party chairman, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, has stated that it would be premature to ask whether his party would support or oppose the proposed referendum.

He was replying to a question whether the referendum issue came under discussion at the party meeting and what decision was taken in this regard.

Mr Jatoi said that they did discuss the issue, but as the government itself had not made any official announcement regarding holding the referendum, the decision was put off till its official pronouncement.

The NPP, which met with Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi in the chair, on Tuesday, besides reviewing party elections in the country, discussed the law and order situation at length. During its over 5-hour deliberations, the meeting also reviewed the political and economic situation in the country, general elections scheduled for October, and the situation prevailing on the Pakistan-India border.

After the meeting, the central information secretary, Syed Zia Abbas, told newsmen that the meeting underlined the imperative need for unity among the people at this juncture.

He said that the party called upon the government for improvement in the law and order situation, creating more job opportunities, controlling the price spiral and attracting more investment in the country.

The meeting also decided to invite applications from candidates for general elections scheduled for October.

The meeting also adopted a resolution condemning Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and demanded implementation of UN Security Council Resolution for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestine.