Pakistan's main Islamic party has urged U.S. President Bill Clinton not to press Islamabad to sign the nuclear test ban treaty during his weekend visit.
Jamaat-i-Islami party leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed told a news conference that Clinton should not push Islamabad on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as a majority of Pakistanis were against the treaty.
Clinton, who is due on Saturday to make a few hours' stopover in Islamabad on the last leg of a six-day South Asian tour, is expected to discuss with Pakistani military rulers nuclear non-proliferation, Pakistan's dispute with India over the Kashmir region, terrorism and restoration of democracy.
Ahmed, whose is Pakistan's largest Islamic group, said more than 15 million Pakistanis had rejected the CTBT in a week-long referendum the Jamaat had organised ahead of Clinton's visit.
"The public opinion (on CTBT) has come forward in an organised manner. If Clinton says something against this opinion, it will not be democracy," Ahmed said.
Ahmed also urged military ruler General Pervez Musharraf to decline to sign the CTBT.
Musharraf told a news conference on Thursday that his government was trying to build a national consensus on whether to sign the CTBT and he was in no hurry to take a decision.
Ahmed said 15.22 million out of 15.45 million people who voted in the referendum opposed the CTBT. "Only 167,708 people voted in favour of signing it."
Does anyone have any details of this refrendum or has anybody from this board taken part in this refrendum?
[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited March 24, 2000).]
Jamaat-i-Islami party leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed told a news conference that Clinton should not push Islamabad on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as a majority of Pakistanis were against the treaty.
Clinton, who is due on Saturday to make a few hours' stopover in Islamabad on the last leg of a six-day South Asian tour, is expected to discuss with Pakistani military rulers nuclear non-proliferation, Pakistan's dispute with India over the Kashmir region, terrorism and restoration of democracy.
Ahmed, whose is Pakistan's largest Islamic group, said more than 15 million Pakistanis had rejected the CTBT in a week-long referendum the Jamaat had organised ahead of Clinton's visit.
"The public opinion (on CTBT) has come forward in an organised manner. If Clinton says something against this opinion, it will not be democracy," Ahmed said.
Ahmed also urged military ruler General Pervez Musharraf to decline to sign the CTBT.
Musharraf told a news conference on Thursday that his government was trying to build a national consensus on whether to sign the CTBT and he was in no hurry to take a decision.
Ahmed said 15.22 million out of 15.45 million people who voted in the referendum opposed the CTBT. "Only 167,708 people voted in favour of signing it."
Does anyone have any details of this refrendum or has anybody from this board taken part in this refrendum?
[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited March 24, 2000).]
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