Qadri must review long march decision: Malik

Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday said that the government would not issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Tehreek Minhajul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri for holding a rally in Islamabad’s Blue Area.
Malik said that the government would not consider any illegal demands and advised Qadri to review his decision on the long march.
Speaking to reporters, Malik claimed that five suspects have been arrested from the Malakand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and had confessed to planning an attack on Qadri’s long march on Jan 14.
He said the Punjab government had received an intelligence tip that a militant group, Ghazi Force, had plans to launch a suicide attack on the long march. The Punjab government, he said, had also informed that senior officials were sent to apprise Dr Qadri of the situation, but he declined to meet them.
Malik said the group has assigned three persons, Yar Bakht, Ahmad and Naeem, aged 18 to 19, for the suicide attack.
The minister said the Crime Investigation Department Karachi had also arrested five people involved in the attack on the rally of Dr Qadri and MQM in Karachi. They had planned to blast the motorcycle close to Dr Qadri, but failed due to strict security arrangements. Malik said he also talked to senior officials of the Punjab government to consider threats to the life of Dr Qadri and participants of the rally and take any decision accordingly. If Dr Qadri was allowed to leave for Islamabad then there should be absolute guarantee for his security and that of the participants. Another intelligence alert had also been received regarding attack on reporters covering the long march, he said.
The minister said representatives of the traders’ community and residents of Islamabad had categorically said that the long march should not be allowed. He said in view of their demands and security of the residents of the federal capital, it had been decided that permission would not be given to hold a sit-in in commercial markets or residential sectors of Islamabad. He said Section-144 has been imposed in the federal capital but Dr Qadri has so far not sought NOC to hold any gathering.
He said if a request was received then permission might be granted for such a gathering at a safer place and where there was no disturbance to the people of Islamabad.
The minister asked Dr Qadri not to come to Islamabad byroad and put lives of people in danger, adding that the government was ready to provide him a helicopter.
He warned workers of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and some government servants who were involved in collection of contributions for the long march.
“Pakistanis are questioning who are the financers and who is behind the plan to stage such a long march, when the government has just two months to complete its tenure and elections were due,” he said, adding that Qadri had around 170,000 students and he should think about the parents who have sent them for education.” Malik also said, “Tahirul Qadri should come alone then we will see how many people join his long march. On one side he is talking about rule of law while on the other side he is instigating the people to achieve his own desire or agenda.” The minister said instead of fulfilling personal gains, Tahirul Qadri should show care for people and avoid putting people in danger. “We will not succumb to any illegal demand from Qadri and we want to tell him elections will be held on time, the path of progress would continue,” he said.
He also said that the government did not wish to take any risks with regard to the security arrangements for the rally, but hastened to add that providing security to Qadri was his duty. However, he added that it would be inadvisable for Qadri to go ahead with the long march in such precarious conditions.
The interior minister said that business owners and residents in Islamabad’s Blue Area had expressed their reservations regarding the long march. Therefore, no one would be permitted to hold a rally in the locality.