ISLAMABAD, May 9: The Pakistan Muslim League (N) on Thursday issued a white paper challenging the constitutional and legal grounds of holding the presidential referendum for securing a fresh term of five years, and pointing to irregularities allegedly committed during the polling.

The opposition PML demanded setting up of a commission, headed by a retired chief justice and comprising at least five retried judges of the Supreme Court, to investigate into the charges of irregularities.

PML (N) Central Vice President Ahsan Iqbal was speaking at a press conference here on Thursday.

He said there were some unconfirmed reports that 17 party members would soon succumb to the government pressure to join the pro-Musharraf faction of the League, i.e., the Quaid-i-Azam group.

Senior Vice President Syed Zafar Ali Shah and Central Information Secretary Siddiqul Farooq were also present at the press conference.

Another central leader Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi was also supposed to be at the press conference but he did not turn up, giving rise to speculations of further erosion in the party ranks.

The question was even raised at the press conference but no satisfactory reply came from the three leaders present there.

Iqbal, releasing the white paper, went on to say that international and national media had used the epithets like “sham democracy” and “rigged democracy” to describe the elections. The paper was primarily based on media report and having very little original input by the party.

The referendum had tainted Pakistan’s image abroad, which, Iqbal said, was “a crime” that could not be tolerated.

For the first time in the history of Pakistan Gen Musharraf had tried to “politicise the sacred institution of Pakistan Army” by dragging his commanders to his public meetings, he further said.

By dragging the commanders to public meetings termed as “rent-a-crowd President Musharraf had caused an “incalculable damage to the institution of Pakistan Army.”

He claimed that the turnout was not more than three per cent and after this “overwhelming rejection” by the people of Pakistan, Musharraf had no right even to touch the Constitution let alone his plans to amend it.

He reiterated the demand of immediate resignations of President Musharraf and Chief Election Commissioner and formation of a neutral caretaker government for holding elections within 90 days.

Expressing concern over the terrorist attacks in Karachi, he claimed, the intelligence agencies had been preoccupied in the referendum and their focus on security had been blurred.