Dharna and London Gate

At first the agenda was hidden but now it is no more a secret. Strangely, another scandal is in the process of unearthing within a short span of two years. Earlier, it was the Memogate. Many shocking revelations would be busted in the coming days. Analysts are labelling the new scandal as London Gate as the planning was done at the end of May in the office of a London based Pakistani businessman, Dr Ijaz Hussain, who was a former advisor to PML-Q’s Chaudhary Pervez Ellahi.

With the absence of certain factions of the PML-Q in London who all joined the PML-N, Dr Hussain did an important job. Dr Tahirul Qadri, chief of the Pakistan Awami Tahreek (PAT), was convinced by Dr Hussain that he would be given the central role in Pakistani establishment if he launched a violent protest to topple the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, just democratically elected last May.

Dr Hussain travelled with Qadri to Pakistan to introduce the Khomeini-type inqilab. Newspapers revealed that Qadri undertook a ‘promotional tour’ of Europe and Iran before stepping into Pakistan to recruit activists. According to former Army Chief General Mirza Aslam Baig, ‘Five years back, the Americans and the Canadians decided to unite the two schools of Islamic thought, Deobandi and Salafi, under Tahirul Qadri’s leadership to counter their alliance in Afghanistan and Pakistan prior to the drawdown from Afghanistan’.

Qadri made an attempt in winter 2013 but miserably failed, so he was launched again. The American and Canadian agenda was to create a ‘secular Islam’ under Qadri and ‘liberal Pakistan’ under Imran Khan, Chairman Tahreek-i-Insaf. Deobandis and PML-N are soft and lenient toward ‘political Islam’ – Taliban and their affiliates. So this is a new Islamic ideological rift introduced by the West in Pakistan. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) is more hit by both PTI and PAT. PML-N and PPP could easily accommodate JUI, so they must be ousted even by unconstitutional means, planned by the outsiders.

Why America, Britain, Canada, and Iran are behind this plan? It is a business deal. Do they have a common agenda? Do they want to grind their axes by overthrowing the PML-N regime? Other than sabotaging an elected democracy in Pakistan, what was the global context of this plan? Many are arguing that the building of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor was the target as Chinese President Xi Jinping was supposed to take a tour of Pakistan along with other South Asian countries to sign agreements worth US$ 34 billion with Pakistan. Following violent protests in Islamabad, Sri Lankan, and Maldives Presidents cancelled their trips to Pakistan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Bangladesh and Sri Lanka alone on 6-8 September. His itinerary did not include Pakistan.

Leaders of the PTI, PAT, and MQM have been making repeated statements that Pakistan should not slide into civil war. Why such fears are on their minds? Do they want to frighten the people to support their call? Or is it the civil war on the top of their agenda? And can’t they implement their agenda without waging civil war?

General Mirza disclosed that America, Canada, Britain, and Iran were behind the conspiracy jointly launched by the PTI and PAT against a popularly elected Prime Minister. United States and Britain swiftly refuted such involvements. General Mirza did not elaborate but this is very threatening evidence about the Azadi and Inqilab Marches and sit-ins staged in Islamabad since 14 August. Their demands went unconstitutional and legal.

They used violent and brutal means in the Red Zones by attacking the Parliament, Pakistan Secretariat, Prime Minister’s House, and PTV Headquarters. The Taliban-type of security control was launched in front of the Pakistan Secretariat. Servicemen were checked and bhata (forced money) was taken for many days. Reuters verified the claim of General Mirza on 5 September that the Army halted the ouster of the embattled Prime Minister.

According to the Federal Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique the agenda of the London plan was to topple the Nawaz Sharif government and staging of anti-government demonstrations for which a written agreement was made between PTI, PAT, and PML-Q. These parties, however, categorically refused to have signed any such written agreement.

Qadri had come to Dorchester Restaurant for a dinner on the invitation of Chaudhary brothers, confirmed by PML-Q’s Information Secretary Senator Kamil Ali Agha, as reported in the media. Imran was already in London to ‘see his sons’, ostensibly. Qadri was on a medical check-up in London ‘from Toronto’. There they organised anti-government strategy.

Qadri flew to Pakistan via Dubai. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was taken into confidence by Qadri in London. The agenda of MQM in this move was to save former dictator General Pervez Musharraf from the high treason trial as being an Urdu-speaking general indicted while none other was. MQM’s chief time and again spoke of that. Therefore, the alliance between PTI, PAT, PML-Q, Awami Muslim League, Majlis Wahdatul Musilmin (MWM), with its alleged Iranian connections and MQM, against the PML-N was natural. Why is PML-N toeing the alliance with MQM when all was odd? Media broke the news on May 30^th that these parties would form the anti-government alliance.

When Article 245 was imposed in Islamabad, the Army mainly remained a bystander. It did not fire or apprehend the violent protesters. If such demonstrations were held in Washington DC or London, for instance, violent protesters would have been arrested and killed and even the staging of such protests would not have been allowed from the start. Pakistan is facing, however, an unusual situation. The government was forced by even PPP, MQM and Jamat-e-Islami etc to permit a sit-in protest (dharna) in Islamabad’s Red Zone.

Gen Mirza did not mention Army or ISI in his statement. Rather, he appreciated the role of General Raheel Sharif who did not allow the conspiracy to succeed. Otherwise the country would have invited the fifth military regime. General Miza did mention that all those that surrounded General Musharraf in 1999-2008 are now with Imran and Qadri. This is very strange because they claimed to be the true leaders yet they are coloured in military uniforms. Their protestors shouted ‘Army Zindabad’ slogans in front of the Parliament, PTV building, and PM House. What were they trying to teach?

The Army also did not arrest or kill a single protestor while they launched a violent protest in the Red Zone. A Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations, Asmatullah Junejo, was attacked with batons on 1^st September and seriously injured and many policemen were also injured but no one was arrested while the Article 245 was invoked in Islamabad. Is it not a mockery of the Article 245 in Islamabad? What would happen if the Article 245 was seriously needed to ward off a security threat knowing the fact that terrorism is not over yet?

Anyway, General Mirza disclosed threatening revelations. Pakistani internal politics is yet closely linked up to global conspiracy. Global actors want to see a destabilised Pakistan.

Canadian factor is a new invention. Qadri himself is a Canadian national. Why is Canada not preventing its national from staging an agitational politics in Pakistan while he is using unconstitutional tactics? Like Canada, Iran is a new player in this whole game of conspiracy. Shia-led MWM threw weight behind the PTI and PAT from the very beginning. Dr Hussain made Qadri’s contacts with Pakistani officials linked with Iran. Is this Iran’s connection? Government must seek clarification from Iran.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi admitted the London meeting between Imran and Qadri. Chaudharys of PML-Q were actively involved in the London Plan, which has now been unveiled. This looks to be a new conspiracy against the elected democratic government of the PML-N, which got more than two-thirds majority but is facing the unconstitutional demands of resignation of its elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The whole Parliament, except PTI and Awami Muslim League, stands behind the Prime Minister and does not want the Prime Minister to resign. For them, it would be the resignation of the Parliament and the death of democracy. Strangely, MQM pleaded the same in the Parliament.

Pakistani democracy has grown up much. It is the failure of the dharna that the Army did not come in to impose martial law while the situation was ripe for that. The Army remained within its professional bounds. Dharna leaders cannot avoid the statements given by the president of the PTI Javed Hashmi who alleged military connotation of these parties and leaders.

Imran and his PTI proclamations are contradictory. PTI enjoys all privileges. Imran rides on an expensive land-cruiser, lives in a 700-kanal house in Islamabad, flies over a private aircraft owned by a member of his party, Jehangir Tareen, and pays tax not matching with his lifestyle. Last year, for example, he paid Rs194,936 in taxes only. He owns 1,644 kanals land in Mianwali and Bhakkar. In last year’s tax return, he did not declare his assets. While in 2012 tax return, he declared assets worth Rs35,95,000. So far the dharna has cost Rs1 billion. Who has paid and still paying this cost? Imran, Jehangir Tareen, or Azam Swati? Are they so generous or somebody else is behind it all? PTI claims to be a poor man and middle class party. Yet the assets of PTI’s leaders match with no one.

In dharna Imran misinformed the people about the reasons of his divorce from Jemima Goldsmith. Reasons of their divorce were not Maulana Fazalur Rhaman and Nawaz Sharif and her conversion from being Jewish to embracing Islam. Jemima cited ‘health issues, grimy furniture, load shedding, and lack of separate room for children’ as the reasons for their divorce along with his long absence from home for political meetings, fundraising activities and workout at gym. She did not say a single word about her Jewish connection that became the reason of their divorce but Imran publically admitted that because politicians alleged Jemima to be a Jew, so this led to their divorce. Imran is not even fair about the reasons of his divorce and brought religious biases for divorce, which is not true.

Yet Imran is determined to bring a ‘change’. With the bust of the London Gate the credibility of the PTI and PAT and their collaborators is at stake now.

In this whole episode of the London Gate, the role of UK-returned Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar, Governor Punjab, is central. He is a mysterious player in this whole episode. He is always a beneficiary in 40 years of ‘business’. He has made dent in British politics. What are his intentions and role in this whole episode? Governor Sarwar was a British Labour MP from Govan in Glasgow (1997-2010). His son Anas Sarwar occupies his constituency now. The former especially surrendered British nationality to become the Governor of the Punjab.

He was present in the London meeting as was claimed by ousted President of PTI Javed Hashmi on 20^th September. He promised to quit politics if this would prove wrong. Hashmi is known for his truthful politics in Pakistan for decades.

Why was Governor Sarwar needed? He was the Governor of the Punjab and the PTI-PAT protests started from Lahore. The Model Town carnage would not have happened without his knowledge, as disclosed by Hashmi. So Governor Sarwar was the most suitable person for PTI-PAT protestors. Governor Sarwar did not categorically deny charges of being part of the London Plan though he was hit hard by Hashmi’s statement.

There are certain connections between Governor Sarwar and Qadri. The former refused to leave the Emirates flight EK 612 diverted to Lahore from Islamabad until Governor Sarwar took him in his bulletproof car in June. Governor Sarwar took Governor Sindh Ishratul Abad in his plane to talk to Qadri at the dharna place in Islamabad’s Red Zone at the peak of the crisis. Why was he made mediator between the Government and PTI-PAT?

When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left Islamabad for New York to address the UN General Assembly session via London on 23^rd September, Governor Sarwar was busy in a press conference with MQM chief Altaf Hussain who demanded Nawaz Sharif’s resignation and offered the resignations of MQM’s MNAs to build pressure on PML-N.

MQM is behind the idea to form a government of the technocrats. Governor Sawar and Altaf Hussain held a one-on-one meeting while Nawaz Sharif was facing ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogans in front of his residence in London on 23^rd September. MQM threw full weight behind Qadri, Imran, and their dharna. Moreover, in the worst flood-hit time, why Governor Sarwar was in Germany and Britain meeting none but Altaf Hussain? Raising flood donations was not government’s policy.

Moreover, Governor Sarwar’s involvement in the Scottish referendum was criticised in Britain as being foreigner and involved in Scottish politics while his own province was devastated by heavy floods. Anas Sarwar has special ties with the PTI in Britain. As mentioned earlier that Hashmi claimed that Governor Sarwar arranged the meeting between Imran Khan and Qadri in London. Why has PML-N not been cleaning up this mess and confusion? What are their concerns? Why have they ‘tolerated’ Governor Sarwar’s recent visit to London?

The London Gate was not unearthed, it was an open secret. The PML-N is itself part of it in the shape of Governor Sarwar from the very beginning. This aspect should be explored more to seek dharna’s justification and its motivations.