ISLAMABAD April 4: Pakistan Muslim League’s central executive committee on Thursday rejected the government’s decision to hold a presidential referendum, and said that it would work to foil the move by an affective boycott.

The meeting, presided over by Raja Zafarul Haq, chairman, was held at the party’s office.

The CEC decided to frustrate the process by giving a call for a countrywide wheel-jam strike and to hold protest demonstrations outside polling stations on the day of the referendum, a proposal, according to insiders, floated by the party’s vice- president, Mushahidullah Khan.

Announcing the decisions at a press conference, Raja Zafarul Haq said that the party in consultation with other parties would also consider staging sit-ins outside polling stations on the day of the referendum.

The party’s secretary-general, Saranjam Khan, additional secretary-general, Chaudhri Jafer Iqbal, vice-presidents Akram Zaki and Mushahidullah Khan, Mamnoon Hussain and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra were also present on the occasion.

Raja claimed that the CEC meeting was attended by 134 members including 41 former members of the national assembly and seven ex-senators.

The meeting also decided to take all like-minded political groups, including religio-political parties, into confidence on the proposed anti-referendum campaign.

It further proposed to mobilize public opinion against Musharraf government’s failed policies towards Afghanistan, Kashmir, price hike, imposition of GST on medicines, agricultural inputs, and other items.

While all other members of CEC endorsed the anti- referendum action, party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq proposed that religio-political and political parties must be consulted before taking a final decision.