Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) want to make Pakistan a liberal, progressive, secular, developed and educated country in accordance with ideals of the Quaid-e-Azam, MQM Lahore Zone leaders said here on Tuesday.
Incharge MQM Lahore Zone Malik Waseem Khokhar and others while addressing a news conference at Lahore Press Club explained the purpose of the scheduled referendum and its agenda to solve the country's multiple social, cultural, religious, political and economic problems.
They said the nation-wide referendum arranged by MQM to get opinion of the people whether they want Quaid-e-Azam's Pakistan or that of Taliban scheduled for November 8 will now be held next week on November 14 for which thousands of polling booths will be set up across the country.
They said there are two sections of people in Pakistan; one which wants Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's liberal, progressive and tolerant and other of Taliban's (religious extremists) Pakistan.
Khokhar said that teachings of holy Quran and Sunnah have made education compulsory for all muslims including men and women , but unfortunately the Taliban terrorists are murdering people and destroying schools under the garb of Islam. "They are committing heinous crimes to stop people, especially women from getting education in Pakistan. The Taliban attacked daughter of the nation, Malala Yousufzai and opened fire on two other girls, Kainat and Shazia on 9th October in Swat when they were going home from school, he said.
MQM leaders further said that the nation stands united as it was in 1965 war against this cowardly attack on little girls. "Quaid-e-Azam wanted Pakistan to be a secular, liberal and progressive State and not a theocratic State as is evident from his August 11, 1947 address to the Constituent Assembly," they added.
They reiterated that MQM wants to create a society in Pakistan where every citizen irrespective of his colour, creed, religion, language, faith etc will have protection of life and property and civil rights.
With regard to the referendum on 14th Nov, MQM Lahore zone leadership said it has prepared millions of ballot papers which would be available at the voting booths. The referendum will be supervised by a commission comprising, retired judges, senior advocates, senior journalists, intellectuals and respectable people.