Islamabad: Tehreek Minhaj Ul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr. Mohammad Tahirul Qadri declared that a massive “revolutionary march” to Islamabad to call for electoral reforms would start from Sunday as planned, despite the government’s warning about a potential terrorist threat.
Addressing a news conference in Lahore, capital of the Punjab province, the Islamic scholar, who has a large following in the country, rejected federal interior minister Rehman Malik’s offer of a helicopter to fly him to Islambad.
The 62-year old author and orator is scheduled to set off from the TMQ headquarters in Lahore on Sunday morning at the head of a caravan of vehicles carrying his supporters.
They plan to enter Islamabad on Monday, travelling hundreds of kilometres on the historic Grand Trunk Road, with stops en-route for speeches.
In a lengthy discussion with the media in Lahore, Qadri built up a strong case in support of his electoral reforms agenda, reading out relevant articles of the constitution and a verdict given by the Supreme Court in June 2012.
He said the constitution clearly lays down that corrupt and dishonest people, including loan defaulters, tax evaders and those involved in moral turpitude, cannot be allowed to contest elections. But, he contended, these provisions have been ignored.
In its judgement last year, he said the top court also specified flaws in the electoral system and mandated corrective steps which have not been implemented to date.
The TMQ chief said the Election Commission must be dissolved and reconstituted on the right lines in order to make it really independent, non-political and powerful enough to discharge its functions.
He said that the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner, former Supreme Court judge Fakhruddin Ebrahim, was a man of integrity but being 86 years old and with four members of the commmission being ‘political appointees’ of the provinces, he could not be expected to deliver.
Qadri said that under the existing system the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly were to select a caretaker prime minister for holding the general elections, thus leaving the crucial matter in the hands of two major parties.
In case of disagreement between the two, the issue of selection of a caretaker will go the Election Commission, he said, stressing that in the present system it was unthinkable that an honest, credible and non-partisan caretaker government will be formed.
Promising to put forth further points of his reform agenda in front of the parlaiment house in Islambad on January 14, he said the ‘final’ decisions would be made by the people’s assembly.
Qadri warned that if violent tactics were used to step the long march, those who indulge in this would face “the wrath of the masses”.
He said blocking tactics were being employed, such as private transport buses being denied to TMQ, but despite all this “our democratic, constitutional revolutionary march shall go ahead,” he said.
As he spoke, police were erecting barriers around the parliament and other key buildings in the sensitive ‘red zone’ of the capital, while the local administration had already imposed a ban on gatherings in the capital and said TMQ would need permission to enter Islamabad, which they had not so far obtained.
According to authorities, in addition to Islambad’s 10,000-strong police force, reinforcements including para-military personnel were being brought in from other provinces to meet any emergency, amid fears of a showdown with marchers.
Educational institutions in Islamabad have been ordered to remain closed on Monday and long queues of motorists were seen at petrol stations as rumours grew that the sale of petrol in and around the city may be suspended. Reports said residents were also stocking up on food as a precaution.
