Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri of Tehreek Minhaj-ul-Quran has emerged as a flag-bearer for political parties believed to be enjoying the blessings of the establishment under the guise of wiping out corruption and feudalism. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which has a long history of siding with establishment and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) allegedly towing the same line, will cash in on Qadri's outburst against 'feudalism' in the country (MQM peeve) and 'wheeling-dealing' (muk mukaa) of PPP and PML-N (PTI pet peeve).
Analysts said that Qadri in his address to a large rally last week in Lahore spoke the words of MQM and PTI, paving the way for them to join hands. The participation of top MQM leadership in Qadri's rally and Imran Khan's quick endorsement of his speech, they added has raised the possibility of the two parties working together, if circumstances allow.
Qadri's supporters, who argue that he is not backed by the establishment, were silenced when All Pakistan Muslim League's President General Pervez Musharraf (Retd) put his weight behind Qadri by issuing a statement of full support.
Rumours in the federal capital are rife that Tahir-ul-Qadri has staged a comeback to sabotage the upcoming general elections and his desire to take military and judiciary onboard for the selection of a caretaker set-up is a clear indication that elections may be postponed and the way paved for a technocratic set-up.
The constitutional experts said that Qardri's call to consult the army and judiciary was unrealistic as there was no such provision in the Constitution, and added that there was no such provision in the Constitution of any democratic country in the world. They further added that one could not equate the judiciary and the military in a democracy as the former was a pillar of state while the latter was a state institution under the control of the executive and answerable to the legislature.
Mushahidullah Khan, Central Information Secretary of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) challenged Qardri's intent, saying he (Qadri) was not only a very good friend of Pakistani establishment but also a blue-eyed boy of the international actors. "His (Qadri) sole agenda is to derail the upcoming general elections, for which he is using all these tactics like dragging in the military and judiciary in caretaker set-up despite knowing it has no constitutional grounds," he remarked.
The establishment, which had planted PTI, Mushahidullah added, against PML-N in Punjab, had to surrender as it failed to damage the popularity of the party despite using all available resources. "The failure of PTI in Punjab came as a surprise to those who wanted to replace PML-N with PTI. So, in a last ditch effort, Qadri has been tasked to try his luck but he is also destined to face the same fate." He also accused Qadari of being on the payroll of international conspirators as well the hidden hands who had earlier brought Imran Khan and his PTI onto the political scene.
When contacted Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran Central Secretary Information, Qazi Faiz-ul-Islam laughed off rumours saying that the party could not even think of derailing the general elections and what it wanted was a neutral caretaker set-up which could ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
When asked about the demand to consult military and judiciary before installing a caretaker set-up, he said it was the need of the hour as both the PPP and PML-N were busy in wheeling-dealing to bring an interim government of their choice which could help them to rig the general elections. "The civilian dictatorship has been imposed on the poor masses for the last five years. This is an assault on democracy as both the parties (PPP and PML-N) are using all available options to reach power corridors once again by befooling people in the name of democracy," he added.
Reiterating Qardri's stance, he warned the government to put a neutral caretaker set-up in place after consulting all the stakeholders in and outside the parliament including military and judiciary by January 10 next year. To a question about the source of the money to organise the mammoth rally in Lahore last Sunday, he said the party had over 200,000 committed workers in Europe, adding the expenditure at the Lahore rally was peanuts. "The members of Minhaj-ul-Quran are very committed and can organise 14 more such rallies," he added.
PTI Central Secretary Information Shafqat Mehmood, when approached, told Business Recorder that there was no contact between Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri for entering into an alliance. At the moment, there was no such plan, he said. However, PTI would support Qadri's stance for installing a neutral caretaker set-up but "we want only consultation among political parties in and outside the parliament," he added.