Karachi: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), on Sunday announced to holding countrywide referendum on November 8 seeking masses decisive opinion whether they wanted secular Pakistan or the Taliban’s Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference at the MQM headquarters, Farooq Sattar, the deputy convener of the party announcing the date of the referendum appealed all the educated youth, intellectuals, lawyers, farmers, and labourers to turn up in great numbers to cast their vote to pave way for a clear message of what kind of country they wanted to live in.
The referendum, Sattar said, became inevitable because of high-handedness of the Taliban, who were carrying their attacks on Sunnis and Shias mosques, shrines of the Sufi saints, army installations and even innocent children and girls to punish them for getting education.
The barbaric attack on Malala, the 14-year rights activist of Swat, on October 9 which she survived, was the turning point in the history of Pakistan, he said.
“All the nation stood up and united to strongly condemn the attack on Malala and two other innocent girls.” Sattar said.
“This was the final wake up call for the whole nation to decide what kind of Pakistan they needed.”
The MQM would set up polling stations across the country where the activists of MQM would facilitate the voters to come and cast their votes. Judges, lawyers, and senior journalists would supervise the process.
“There is only one question whether you want Quide Azam Pakistan or the Taliban’s Pakistan,” Sattar spelt out the referendum.
The country was made Islamic Republic after the 1977 coup of general Zai ul Haq by amending the constitution. The secular parties question the amendment referring to a keynote speech of Pakistan’s founding father Mohammad Ali Jinnah in which he categorically said that ‘Pakistan would not be a theocratic state.”
