LAHORE – Tehrik Minhajul Quran Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri on Sunday revolted against the existing electoral system and gave the government until January 10 to reform it or immediately after the deadline he would start a march on Islamabad and hold there a gathering of four million people to take necessary decisions to have the demand met.
In his 135-minute address at a well-organised public meeting of tens of thousands of people from all over the country at the sprawling Minar-i-Pakistan, he made it clear that he was not opposed to the elections, but at the same time he would not accept any polls held without meeting all requirements laid down in the Constitution.
The participants raised their hands several times to pledge that they would converge on the federal capital on the call of their leader, without offering any excuse or letting any personal problem become the hurdle. On many an occasion they chanted in chorus: “We want change”.
Without naming any party but leaving no doubt that he was referring to the PPP and the PML-N, the TMQ chief said he would not let the two major parties take all decisions about the interim setup to protect their own interests, ignoring the rights of the voters who have consistently been exploited in the past.
Preparations for this meeting were made over the past several weeks. Hundreds of TQM supporters from other countries were also among the participants.
The gathering was, perhaps, bigger than the ones addressed at the same venue by Benazir Bhutto on April 10, 1986, when she had returned from self-exile, or Imran Khan on October 30 last year.
An MQM delegation led by deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar; PPP leader Imtiaz Safdar Warraich; representatives of Gen Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League; Dr AQ Khan’s Tehrik-i-Tahaffaz-i-Pakistan, and some Hindu and Sikh representatives also participated. However, no guest spoke. Pakistan’s national flags were carried by a majority of the attendees and, as a policy decision, no flag of any party, including the host TMQ, was brought during the five-hour proceedings.
A former teacher of law, Dr Qadri said formulation of the interim setup that would supervise the upcoming elections was not the exclusive prerogative of the ruling party and the opposition. In his opinion, the Armed Forces and the judiciary should also play their role in bringing clean and honest people to the fore.
He dismissed the constitutional rhetoric that elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the assemblies. This requirement, he said, was just one ordained by the basic law, but other requirements were also equally important. Unless the articles dealing with the qualifications and disqualifications of the candidates were strictly adhered to, the 90-day argument was just meaningless. The TMQ chairman said if the elections were delayed as a result of the desired reforms, it would make no difference at all. To substantiate his argument, he cited Article 254 of the Constitution which said that any act would not become invalid only because it was not performed at a time prescribed for it.
He reiterated that the judiciary should also play a role in bringing in an interim setup comprising people of integrity in various walks of life. Since his ‘prescription’ appears to be in conflict with the Constitution, he cited the example of the European Court of Justice.
He said Europe was regarded as bastion of democracy, but when Italy faced a serious economic crisis, the European Court of Justice dismissed the incumbent government and inducted a setup comprising competent and honest people. The government so installed was also given a timeline to set things right.
The government chosen by the ECJ delivered in much less time and the situation in Italy improved, Dr Qadri recalled.
He said if a ‘judicial intervention’ was possible in the bastion of democracy, why it could not be tried in Pakistan, which he likened to a sinking ship.
At the outset of his address, he declared on oath that the public meeting he was addressing had not been organised with the backing or financial support of any country or agency, nor anyone had played a role in setting its agenda. The entire expenditures had also been met by the TMQ supporters or some businessmen and ulema.
He also said on oath that he is not playing any role to have the democratic system wrapped up or the Constitution violated. In fact, he said, in case of any military takeover, he would be the first to stand up against it.
“My only objective is to clean the political system of the filth, political monopolies and oppression; get the poor people their due rights”.
He said now he would like to leave it to his Muslim brothers to accept or reject his assertions on the basis of logic and reasoning. Dr Qadri said that all reforms should be introduced in one go as ‘incrementalism’ is no longer an option. He said  the rulers were looting the country and even their handpicked NAB chairman had been quoted as saying that corruption between Rs10 to 12 billion was being committed daily. In case the reforms were delayed, there would be nothing left to reform, Qadri warned. “The change of the system would change the destiny of the country. We want real democracy.”