Tahirul Qadri’s return to Pakistan sparks violence

Lahore: At least seven people were killed and nearly 100 injured in Lahore as supporters of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) political party clashed with police as their leader Dr Tahirul Qadri returned to the country. The fiery preacher-turned-political-activist has called for a mass movement against the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The clashes erupted around midnight on Sunday, when large contingents of police officers reached the PAT headquarters and demanded the removal of barricades on roads leading to the group’s headquarters and Qadri’s residence, terming them illegal. The barricades were set up four years ago after Qadri issued a decree against the Taliban and the militants responded with death threats to him.

Qadri flew to Pakistan from London via Dubai and his Emirates flight to Islambad was diverted to Lahore after being denied permission to land in the national capital.

The diversion was seen as an apparent government move to foil Qadri’s plan to travel to Lahore by road along with a procession of party workers and supporters with stops along the 260-km route to muster support for his professed mission to change the “corrupt system” in the country.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the aircraft was diverted because of concerns about the possibility of violence given the presence of a large slogan-chanting crowd at Islamabad’s Benazir International Airport.

After the plane landed at Lahore, Qadri insisted that he would get off the aircaft along with his 200 companions only after the army provided security for his motorcade en route to his residence in the Model Town neighbourhood of Lahore. Citing the killing of around a dozen PAT workers and injuries to scores during a June 17 police raid to dismantle security barriers outside the secretariat of his Minhajul Quran religious outfit next to his home in Lahore, Qadri said he had “no trust” in those in government.

A former senior aviation official, speaking on condiction of anonymity, said the diversion of Qadri’s flight and his forced stay at Lahore airport could have repercussions for the country in the international aviation industry.

The media office of the Government of Dubai said that Emirates flight EK612 from Dubai to Islamabad was diverted to Lahore as directed by the Pakistan authorities.

“As of 1.45pm Dubai time, all passengers have disembarked and are safe,” an Emirates spokesperson said. “We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Police in Lahore used tear gas and batons against irate protesters before firing into the air to disperse the crowd. Businesses in nearby commercial areas quickly shut down as Model Town became a battle zone. The dead included at least five men and two women, according to workers at Jinnah Hospital.

The chief minister of Punjab province, Shahbaz Sharif, said at a news conference that eight people had been killed and 97 injured in the clashes.

Chaudhry Shafique, the Lahore police chief, blamed the protesters for the violence, saying they had taken the law into their hands. “When the police went to remove illegally set up barricades, the workers of the party started pelting stones from roofs and threw petrol bombs,” he said.

Twenty-seven police officers were among the injured. Shafique said five civilian deaths had been confirmed, attributing them to gunfire from the Qadri camp. Workers for Qadri’s party, however, said police had fired directly into the crowd.

In January 2013, Qadri, who is based in Canada, led a march of thousands of followers to Islamabad to demand electoral reforms and the removal the previous government, which was led by the Pakistan People’s Party.

According to the Pakistani Constitution, Qadri cannot take part in elections because of his dual Pakistani and Canadian citizenship. And despite an ability to mobilise thousands in the streets, he has not attained much formal political power. His party won just one seat in parliament when it took part in the 2002 elections.

Qadri’s profile rose again after he threatened to topple Sharif’s government, accusing it of having come to power by rigging general elections last year.

Qadri has announced that he plans to arrive in Islamabad next Monday and has urged the Pakistani military to provide him protection. He has sought support for what he promises will be a revolution, but has so far been able to win the backing of only a handful of politicians who failed to win seats in last year’s elections.

Government officials have hinted that Qadri might be arrested if he tries to return to Islamabad next week. They have also warned of possible money-laundering investigations against him.

Qadri’s protest could add to the troubles of the government at a time when the military has launched a long-awaited military offensive against the Taliban leadership in North Waziristan, the rugged mountainous region that has been used as a staging ground for terrorist attacks in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, in a telephone address to supporters, Qadri had hit out at what he termed police high-handedness. He said authorities had challenged a peaceful movement and that the police had fired on unarmed protesters.

In a post on Twitter, Qadri said that the Pakistani government, “gripped by fear of my arrival,” was harassing his party’s workers.

— With inputs from agencies