Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira on Wednesday hit back hard at Dr Tahirul Qadri, warning Qadri against abusive language for politicians.
Talking to media outside the Parliament House, he lambasted Dr Qadri for being “out of mind” making his attitude and statements as incomprehensible and a pack of lies; while also warning that “we also know how to reply back in same tone”. Declaring Tahirul Qadri’s demands unconstitutional, Kaira also asked for Qadri’s recommendations for an easy conducive reformation of the Election Commission of Pakistan, after its dissolution, and legislation authority in case of absence of assemblies.
Kaira was also chagrined over Qadri’s terming of ECP Chairman Fakhruddin G Ibrahim “an honest but rather over-aged (at 86 years of age)”, asking Qadri if huge wrestlers were more appropriate for the post.
Kaira urged Qadri to let all women, children go to their homes, safely and not use them as a human shield, while they were also suffering the extreme cold and other inclement circumstances, compared to Qadri and his family, who were enjoying all the comforts and benefits.
Agreeing that elections should be held according to articles 62, 63 of the constitution, Kaira said that Dr Qadri himself could not contest elections according to these articles. Kaira also criticised Dr Qadri for exaggerating the turn-out of his rally. Kaira said that the government would hold dialogue with Dr Qadri only if he adopted constitutional course and became a political stakeholder by surrendering his Canadian nationality. “If we can hold dialogue with the Taliban, why not with Qadri? We do not evade from dialogue, but first he should surrender his dual nationality, register his party to become a real stakeholder in Pakistan,” Kaira said. He said any action poised to undermine democracy and breach of the constitution would be resisted by the people, civil society as the doors have been closed for coming to rule through backdoor. He said Dr Qadri was free to use his democratic right to protest but if he would put forth unconstitutional demands then law would surely take its course. Throughout his press conference Kaira used sarcastic reference of molvi for Qadri, while Kaira’s attitude was quite aggressive and rancid, punched with occasional gags from Qadri’s speech, with which the information minister regaled reporters.
