QUETTA, May 2: The chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, said on Thursday that people had rejected President Gen Musharraf’s policies by boycotting the unconstitutional and illegal referendum conducted by the military government.

Addressing a sizable public meeting at Ayub Stadium, he claimed that only two per cent votes were cast in the referendum but Gen Musharraf was staying in the office of president as a result of proving his loyalty to the United States government.

Maulana Rehman said that after being rejected by the people in the referendum, the general had no justification for staying in power and he should resign.

He said army had no right to remain in power, as it was not its job. “Army should hand over the government to the representatives of the people and do its real job at the borders,” he said.

He strongly criticized the policies of the government and said that due to wrong Afghan policy of Gen Musharraf, Pakistan’s eastern and western borders had become insecure. He said that during the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s western borders were secure.

He said that after the removal of Taliban an unfriendly government was established in Afghanistan, which was a continuous threat for Pakistan’s eastern borders, while India had deployed its army at the western borders.

He said Pakistan was alone in the region while the US and its allies were supporting India on the Kashmir issue and alleging.

He criticized the government for obtaining loans from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. He said the country was paying a huge amount as interest to the institutions.