Referendum: MQM wants to know if you want 'Taliban or Jinnah's Pakistan?'
In a statement issued by the MQM on Thursday, Hussain said he directed the Coordination Committee in Karachi and London to announce the public referendum before the country was embroiled in another mishap or natural disaster, adding that the international political scenario was changing at a rapid pace.
The referendum idea had sparked from a speech by Hussain on October 14, after the assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai, where in he had called on Pakistanis to vote whether they wanted to live in a Pakistan run by the Taliban or the one that the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had envisioned.
Earlier on October 18, MQM had announced that it would hold a referendum after Eidul Azha.
Days after the speech, the question was also featured on billboards across Karachi.
Providing details on how the party should carry out the referendum, Hussain has asked the party to organise the referendum throughout the country on one day, between 9am and 5pm, designating separate teams in each province for this.
The counting of votes, he added, should be done in the presence of senior retired judges, lawyers or prominent citizens. He also directed that representatives of print and electronic media in each province should be invited to cover the referendum.
Hussain appealed to Pakistanis that since the country was going through a difficult time, they should perform their ‘national duty’ and vote without any fear or pressure.
The statement further added that the the public would be informed about the results of the referendum.
Further information about the referendum can be obtained at the MQM Headquarters, Nine Zero or the provincial or zonal offices in each province.
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