I cannot guarantee peace if march hampered, says Tahirul Qadri 2013
LAHORE: Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has reiterated his warning to both federal and Punjab governments against creating hurdles in the way of his proposed long march on Islamabad and a sit-in there, and harassment of his workers. He warned that in such a situation he would not be able to guarantee peace, as the party workers would go out of his control.
Dr Tahirul Qadri alleged that the federal and Punjab governments were using undemocratic tactics to thwart his long march.Talking to reporters at the TMQ Secretariat in Model Town Lahore, Qadri said his march was aimed at ensuring electoral and political reforms for the sake of common man. He warned of a tit-for-tat response if the government tried to snatch the constitutional rights of the people. “We have not put on bangles and will retaliate to any attempt to seize our constitutional rights,” he told the media after holding talks with a delegation of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslemeen (MWM). The visitors were headed by MWM Secretary General Allama Amin Shaheedi.
Tahirul Qadri termed all government cautions to call off the march due to terrorism threats baseless, saying all those threats were made up by the government to prevent the march. He referred to a statement of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman saying that his organisation did not issue any threat to Dr Qadri’s proposed march.
Tahirul Qadri declared that “if anything happened to him then President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Pervaiz Ashraf, federal and Punjab governments would be held responsible.
“I am registering a formal FIR with the nation at this moment,” Dr Qadri said. He lamented that both federal and Punjab governments had put up barricades and containers on the routes to deter the marchers while leaders of his party were being harassed and there was an alleged plan of detaining at least 200 of TMQ leaders ahead of the January 14 march.
He referred to a report that said that all MNAs and MPAs were directed to foil the march in their constituencies.
The MWM leaders assured TMQ of full participation in the long march and Allama Shaheedi said he was formally making an announcement in this regard. He said his party fully endorsed the aims and objectives of Dr Qadri for solving the problems of the country and bringing about electoral and political reforms.
The MWM delegation comprised of Shafqat Shirazi, Ahmad Iqbal, Abuzar Mehdvi, Nasir Abbas Shirazi and others.
Later, Dr Tahirul Qadri announced the schedule for the long march, according to which he would lead the first caravan from Model Town on Jan 13 morning to reach Islamabad via GT Road. He directed the party workers to use three separate routes to reach Islamabad if GT Road is closed on them.
The march would reach Islamabad on Jan 14, after brief stops at Muridke, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kharian, Lalamusa, Jhelum and Rawat. Dr Qadri said he would announce a package of electoral reforms at Jan 10.
Online adds: Dr Tahirul Qadri said the Punjab government was harassing transporters and forcing them to cancel bookings for the march.
An international media firm has been hired to start a psychological campaign against the long march and to propagate that the march was foreign-funded, he claimed. The government is trying to create anarchy in the country, he alleged.
About rumours of his house-arrest, he said he could be arrested but not millions of his workers. A spokesperson for Minhajul Quran meanwhile said rallies from other cities would join the main caravan to reach Islamabad. He said there would be a “public parliament” in front of the Parliament House on Jan 14.
