LAHORE, April 28: Governor Khalid Maqbool said on Sunday the referendum would be held in a peaceful manner and those trying to create any disturbance on the occasion would not be spared.

The referendum had been declared as legal and a reflection of the aspirations of the people by the Supreme Court and, therefore, “we will not tolerate any hurdle on the referendum day,” said the governor while talking to representatives of lawyers and reporters at the Governor’s House.

He said after the Supreme Court verdict, there was no justification left to oppose the referendum. The referendum was legal and the government would not allow anyone to oppose it.

He said the government had allowed the ARD to hold its public meeting and now it must respect the voice of the people. The people had already voted for the president and would endorse their decision on April 30.

He said it was the duty of the government to ensure peace during any election. “Therefore, we will fulfil our responsibility on the referendum day and take action against those found creating any disturbance,” he said.

Talking about reports of irregularities in wheat procurement, the governor said as compared to the last year, 81,000 bags of wheat had so far been procured. The government would procure six times more wheat this year than the last year, he claimed.

He said every farmer was being given 50 bags on personal guarantee. In many instances, 100 bags were also being given on the recommendation of Nazims.

The governor said it had been decided to export one million tons of wheat. The government had also increased loan limit for farmers from Rs50,000 to Rs60,000. Loans were also being given to the farmers who had not returned the previous loans. This time, the government was procuring wheat directly from farmers, he said.

He said this time the government would procure 3.5 million tons of wheat and ensure that it was not stolen from official godowns.

Speaking to lawyers, the governor said despite being a military set-up, the government had tried to fulfil democratic norms. He said the lawyers community was with the government. There were elements in society who had obtained the “contract” of imposing their writ instead of representing the view by the majority.

The governor said the federal government had prepared a Rs2 billion package for judicial reforms. Under this package, Rs1 billion would be available for district bar associations and tehsil level lawyers bodies in the province.

He said the Asian Development Bank had also offered a Rs500 million loan for speedy and low-cost justice. He also mentioned various programmes being launched by the government for the betterment of the lawyers and for improving the judicial system in the province.

Representatives of lawyers also spoke on the occasion.