Qadri defends ‘dramatic end’ to long march
LAHORE – Claiming to have achieved all targets of long march, Tehrik-e-Minhajul Quran Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri has said that he preferred to choose the path of negotiation instead of capturing parliament to save democracy and continuity of the process.
Addressing a press conference at TMQ secretariat on Saturday, he said that original demand of implementation on articles 62, 63 and 218 of the Constitution were accepted while the coalition government would also propose two names for the caretaker prime minister with the consultation of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik.
He said that the government had also agreed to dissolve assemblies before completion of their tenure to give 90 instead of 45 days for holding elections.
He said: “We defeated political terrorism of inmates of Rainwind palace through power of peace. The PML-N was instigating the government to save Islamabad from chaos by taking action against the marchers. The PPP regime also planned to attack marchers on January 16 for which the Punjab government sent 6000 commandoes.
“The police deployed in Islamabad refused to launch operation against marchers that forced the government to go for dialogue.”
The TMQ chief said that capturing parliament would definitely have halted the democratic process and due to this reason he preferred to remain peaceful and opted negotiations.
Qadri lashed out at the PML-N for holding meeting of opposition parties in Raiwind when he was leading marchers in Islamabad. “Instead of asking the federal government to initiate dialogue, the opposition parties suggested appropriate measures to maintain peace in Islamabad. They presented 10 points and none of these was referring to implementation of section 62 and 63”, he said, adding that none of them could contest elections if section 62 and 63 were implemented.
He said that the PML-N leadership continued to give contradictory statements about the motives of long march.
“Earlier, Nawaz Sharif and others called our demands unconstitutional and now they are saying that all are already part of the Constitution. I was not asking for amending the Constitution but its implementation in letter and spirit”, he said.
Accusing Sharifs of campaigning against him in the media, he said that they earmarked Rs3 billion for his character assassination. He said that Canadian government did not issue summons for him and such reports were false.
“I obtained immigration and not asylum. The news reports are false and part of malign campaign launched by Sharifs. The younger brother is taking pills to cure mental disorder and the elder will also start taking such medicine. They carry me on their shoulders to the Cave Hira. Now they are using ****** tactics for nefarious motives”, he said.
He warned Sharifs of making public all their hidden truths, saying that he knew them better than any other person in the world. He said that the Sharifs would never enter power corridor again.
To a question whether PAT would contest next elections or not, he said that the party yet to take the decision.
“I will not contest election. Federal council and executive committee of PAT will meet to take the decision. Hopefully, the decision will be taken in a week or so. If the PAT decides to contest elections, it would do it with full force.”
Qadri defends