Tahirul Qadri addresses crowd as 7-hour ultimatum expires

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PakistanToday
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Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s is addressing the crow after 7-hour deadline to President Asif Zardari and the Pakistan People’s Party-led federal government to dissolve all assemblies expired at 11am Tuesday.

Qadri said a national policy against counterterrorism could not be constituted due to inability of the corrupt political leadership.

He termed the long march peaceful, legal and constitutional adding that similar marches were taken out in the past for the independence of judiciary.

“Only army and judiciary are functioning according to the constitution”, he said.

He dismissed that no one was behind his return to Pakistan and the long march except Allah Almight, Prophet (PBUH) and the people of Pakistan.

Qadri said he would reveal a seven-point democratic agenda in his speech.

Earlier, eight people including police and participants of the long march were reportedly injured when police fired shots in the air to quell the supporters pelting stones at the police while Interior Minister Rehman Malik has alleged long march participants of firing and breaching the red zone.

Television footage showed helicopters hovering over the skies to protect the crowd while capital government agreed to deploy additional personnel to enhance the security.

“Morally, your government and your assemblies have ended tonight,” Qadri Monday night told a mammoth gathering from behind a transparent bullet-proof box erected around a podium, after he had been bustled up the steps by handlers holding up what appeared to be bullet-proof shields.

“I will give you (the government) a deadline until tomorrow to dissolve the federal parliament and provincial assemblies. After that, the people’s assembly here will take their own decision… Their time is up, our time is now,” he said.

“Great sons of the democratic revolution, sons, daughters, scholars, traders, government officials, people from all other walks of life, stay until I tell you to leave,” he said.

“I congratulate the 180 million people of Pakistan who have backed me for the supremacy of law and for establishing a real democracy and ending tyranny, rigging and corruption, for snatching back the rights of the people from the elites, looters, terrorists who have deprived them of their rights,” he said.

Amidst slogans calling for “a revolution”, Qadri demanded the government shift the venue of the sit-in to D-Chowk in front of Parliament House as promised to him earlier by Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

“I will give them (the administration) five minutes to move the stage and the lights to the place of our choice,” he said, adding that he would give the inaugural address of the new “people’s government” in front of Parliament House and not at Jinnah Avenue where the government had permitted him to stage the sit-in.

Qadri said he was on a “Hussaini Mission”, which he would take to its logical conclusion, adding that the “revolution” had begun. “The end of the march is the beginning of the revolution,” he told his followers who had gathered at the venue on a chilly night.

Urging his followers to remain peaceful while heading to D-Chowk, Dr Qadri urged the law enforcement agencies not to create hindrance in their march towards Parliament House.

Earlier, Qadri entered the capital late on Monday night through Faizabad interchange with thousands of his followers.

His sleek black SUV was escorted by several cars of police and other security agencies, followed by charged activists of Minhajul Quran onboard cars, trucks and buses. Dozens of motorbikes were also seen moving with Qadri’s “democracy caravan”.

According to estimates, around 40,000 people accompanied Dr Qadri from Lahore all the way to Islamabad after spending nearly 36 hours on the road. The participants and those awaiting in Islamabad were chanting slogans and flashed victory signs as the convoy passed along Islamabad Express Highway.

From Faizabad, the long march proceeded towards the sit-in venue at Jinnah Avenue in Blue Area, where thousands of Qadri’s supporters welcomed the procession with various slogans and welcome songs.

Upon reaching Islamabad, Dr Qadri tweeted: thanks to God, we have reached Islamabad safely, the caravan of democracy is here’.

According to the Intelligence Bureau around 40,000 people were accompanying Qadri while the Islamabad police put the figure at 35,000. Other intelligence agencies put the number of participants at around 50,000. But according to Qadri, some four million people were present at the venue and another “one million” were coming to the federal capital on foot.

At around noon on Monday, people started reaching Blue Area from various adjoining cities and towns.

Mora than 10,000 people, including a large number of youngsters, remained at the venue to welcome their leader.

Wearing baseball cap inscribed with logos of change, hundreds of female students of Minhaj-run schools kept the environment charged with the slogan, “We want change, we want change”.

Despite unfavourable weather conditions and over 12 hours wait for receiving their leader, the protesters remained organised and charged.

They waved national flags and sang national songs. It was nine degrees Celsius in the city at around midnight but the Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran’s supporters remained unmoved.

“We have no special agenda, we just want to get rid of this government, as we have no gas to light fire, no water to drink, no electricity to read… so we just want change,” said, Amna Ikhlaq, a 19-year-old college student.

She said both governments – the PPP-led federal government and the Sharifs-led Punjab government, had failed to deliver, so it was time for change.

Besides female students, dozens of women with infants in their arms were also seen on the occasion.

“It’s too cold and I know this winter night could badly affect my child’s health, but we will stay here until the real change comes, we are here for revolution and will leave after getting it here,” said Naila Raza, a women who joined the protest march with her husband from Rawalpindi.

The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration had taken stringent security measures to prevent any untoward situation.

Apart from all entry points, huge contingents of police were deployed in and around the protest venue. Hundreds of police personnel, paramilitary soldiers and TMQ volunteers were searching all individuals before letting them cross into the venue.

The entire city, particularly the Blue Area, has been festooned with portraits of the TMQ chief.

Qadri’s supporters say their leader had given a call to them against the current corrupt system.

“The harsh winter night cannot force us to leave the area, we will stay here until this government is not thrown out,” said Khalil Ahmed, who came from Murree.

The government kept the Red Zone complete sealed after erecting a wall of shipping scanners.

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30 COMMENTS

  1. PTI should have been in Islamabad; it is never too late you can still join hands. AML had a little more political acumen.

    • you are saying correct yar ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ye log mulk ka nahe sochte ye apna sochte han ke ham wazer e azam bane………………………………………..dr sahib ka kisi leader ne sath nahe diya sare matlbe han…………………….

    • kun bhai ap ko kia takleef hy kabi tum ney kuch kia hy nation k lian or pakistan k lian
      so plz keep quiet

  5. I am not a follower or fan of TUQ but his demands are legits. This corrupt govt has destroyed the country and has made it a slave nation. Its time for election reforms and so that educated and honest people can come to power.

    • you are saying right,
      here most of the people trying to prove what is Dr Tahir instead of focusing What he is saying………

  6. It’s a fixed match otherwise no Govt. concedes the way this Govt has done. First they were allowed to leave Lahore, Get onto GT Road, proceed all the way to Blue Area uninterrupted, then allowed to go to D-square. People of Pakistan are once again being cheated in the name of Islam.

    Mr. Qadri has used Quran and Imam Hussain AS for political purposes and acted directly against the principals of Imam Hussain AS. Quran was not revealed for swearing upon it and Imam Hussain did not ask anyone to swear by Quran.

    Some innocent bodies might fall and then a caretaker setup for longer period will be setup and Elections delayed………..that’s what AZ wanted and Qadri is assisting him. At best this could be an attempt for another US sponsored Brown or Orange revolution and has AZ’s consent to it.

  7. I see the foundation being built for peacefull INQILAB and this hopefully will change the mind set of people who were stuck with stereotype politicians & political system which could never deliver.Whether Qadri is CIA funded or not, i am not much bothered but people way of thinking is my concern and they are exhibiting that in Islamabad which is why Rehman Malik has jammed all TV transmision so masses can’t witness the ugly reality. This is how these so called ” democracy champions ” are like. Laanat hey esi jamhooriat per ji ne qaum ke jism aur rooh dono ko zakhmi ker dala hei. We need IK & ATUQ sort of people to lead us, not a bunch of timid and cowardly thugs.

  11. he is doing right, this filthy government has to pay the panalties for what they did to Pakistan. my thumbs are up for Qadri sb, at least, we can do this instead sitting in front of tv and commenting uselessly.

  12. Home cooked revolution made by some duffer bureaucratic and military minds.Qadri’s emergency landing is from political and religious Pandora box of GHQ to threatened their handmade poetical rivals via NRO
    General kiayni and Gen Ithashm Zameer didnt learn from blunders of past made by Gen Asad durrani and Gen baig or they cant do other than their god gifted caliber and have no courage to say no to their foreign masters.
    They both are also over confident about Pakistani probing performance that Pakistanis will get to know their fraud after 20 years and at that time nobody in GHQ will be interested to chase,Just like them as they are ignoring Asad and Beig who are still enjoying VVIP living in Pakistan even if article 62 of civilian constitution has been applied on them too.

  13. No dout PPP GOVT is corrupt peoples wanted to get rid of of govt.Pakistani peoples need fair election not a long march.ppp pmln working very hard for preparing caretaker setup. Tahir ul Qadri not having his own agenda.amarican agenda at the back of sheikh islam.Amari a wanted to enter pakistan
    .

  14. Pakistan's democratic government should follow the Turkish Model where 300 Generals & Admirals have been arrested, trialed and punished on coup plot-Ergenekon. Now the Turkish establishment cannot ever dare to conspire overthrowing a democratic government.

  15. Dr Qadri is far beyond the reach of the incompetent and corrupt rulers. They have totally failed to assess what his aim is. Until before the start of the march he has no clear demand except to make an impartial care taker government. Once he has reached Islamabad with such a big crowd he feels himself in a position to twist the arm of the government as and when he will wish. That is the reason he has started to put up his points and giving ultimatum to government. The stupidity of the government has provided Dr Qadri an upper hand because he has already landed in the country’s capital with his mob. The government has shown a true and practical example of Nero.

    The whole government has been involved in evil practices for the last five years and they could only be stopped by some evil of greater volume. The path Dr Qadri has chosen to bring change in Pakistan is neither right nor legal, however, the cause or the slogan he is raising is 100% right.

  16. If this Government does not listen to the demands, people must physically attack, P.M house, President houses and houses of each and every ministers, drag them on street and hang them in public. This may the only way to get rid of these C**R**O**O**K**S.

  18. I see the foundation being built for peacefull INQILAB and this hopefully will change the mind set of people who were stuck with stereotype politicians & political system which could never deliver.Whether Qadri is CIA funded or not, i am not much bothered but people way of thinking is my concern and they are exhibiting that in Islamabad which is why Rehman Malik has jammed all TV transmision so masses can't witness the ugly reality. This is how these so called " democracy champions " are like. Laanat hey esi jamhooriat per ji ne qaum ke jism aur rooh dono ko zakhmi ker dala hei. We need IK & ATUQ sort of people to lead us, not a bunch of timid and cowardly thugs.

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