Thin participation spoiled Tahir ul Qadri’s revolution dream

PAT Rally Lahore

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (#PAT) rally aimed at ascertaining the strength of the party support base to meet the target of 20 million, for bringing a revolution according to the plan of its chief, could only bring hundreds of supporters on The Mall road.

Dr Tahirul Qadri who is running the party from Canada and wants to bring a revolution in the country said, “I will lead a revolution with the following of 20 million Nimazis for bringing a real change in the country.”

According to careful estimation there were around 3,000 PAT supporters including men, women and children who took part in a rally on Sunday in the provincial capital.
PAT chief has given a call for countrywide rallies to announce his agenda for the revolution and the rallies were taken out in 60 major cities of the country.
The Lahore rally started from Nasir Bagh and it had a thin presence at The Mall, with the video-link address of PAT chief from #Canada.

The women participation was bigger than the men in the rally. The majority of the participants came from the nearby cities of Lahore while participation from the provincial capital itself was very thin.
A group of PAT supporters, apparently to overcome their disappointment over the poor show, engaged in a minor scuffle with the police at Faisal Chowk as they tried to bring some chairs and other things by crossing the barbed wire.

The majority of those who reached Nasir Bagh were women a;pmg with children and many of the participants were students of Tehreek Minhajul Quran (TMQ) run educational institutions and colleges.
To engage the participants in the absence of central leaders of PAT and TMQ, the organizers kept playing party songs on huge loud speakers. Many youth kept dancing on the tunes.

The district administration had closed all the link roads towards The Mall by putting barbed wire fences and also blocked the view to The Mall by erecting tents. Some entry points at Data Darbar Chowk and Lower Mall Chowk were open for vehicles to join the rally.

According to district management officials supervising the rally, the link roads were closed for vehicles to ward off the security threats under the prevailing precarious circumstances. Heavy police contingent with sniffer dogs, metal detectors and other equipment was present to ensure security on the route of the rally.
The rallying people led by TMQ Lahore ameer Irshad Tahir, Lahore Nazim Ghulam Farid and PAT president Ch Afzal Gujjar began marching at a slow pace and not as part of single rally, but in shape of small clusters of workers walking in separate groups. PAT secretary general Khurram Nawaz Gandapur joined the rally later, when it had almost reached Faisal Chowk.

The banners and posters inscribed with slogans for bringing change in the country were displayed on the entire route of the rally, besides big pictures of Dr Qadri. A delegation of PML-Q under the leadership of Senator Kamil Ali Agha along with party leaders and dozens of supporters also participated in the rally at its culminating point at The Mall.
Source: The Nation E-Paper

Tahir ul Qadri President of PAT wants revolution to change govt

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (#PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Sunday called for changing the government and the prevalent system through revolution, calling the present set-up ‘unconstitutional’.

#Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri. — File photo

 
“We are in favour of revolution instead of changing the government within the parliament as the house has been elected in violation of Article 218, Clause B of the Constitution,” Mr Qadri said while addressing protest rallies in different cities of Punjab, including Lahore and Rawalpindi, through video-link from Canada.
He said there was no democracy in the country and the parliament was being run in an unconstitutional way, adding that such a government should be immediately replaced by one that turns the country into a welfare state.

“People are feeling insecure as the law and order situation has deteriorated. They are committing suicide and even selling their children for bread. A total of 50,000 people have died during the last few years but neither the present nor the previous governments have taken responsibility,” he said.
The PAT chief said that for 42 years, three PPP governments and three PML-N administrations had ruled the country, but never did any good for the people.

He said there was no merit in the country. “The poor have become poorer while the rich richer. The ruling elite have built palaces in Raiwind whereas the poor do not even have shelter from scorching heat and chilly winter,” he said.

Mr Qadri said the ruling elite did not want to empower the common man which was why it was against creation of new provinces. “There is a dire need to create 30 new provinces in the country to transfer power to the grass roots,” he said.

He said education and health were responsibility of the state and the constitution clearly defined it as such. “But, we spend a meagre amount on education while provision of health facilities is still a dream in the country,” he said.

“To end corruption, unemployment and inflation, there is a dire need to launch a movement. The people of the country will launch this movement and the rallies in Punjab prove that the days of the present system and ruling Junta are numbered,” he said.

Mr Qadri said he would soon return from #Canada to lead a movement against the government and to change the system. “I will soon start a movement for the welfare of the people and improvement of the system where people can live in a safe and secure environment and enjoy all basic rights as enshrined in the constitution,” he said.
Source: Dawn News

PTI voters now regret their decision, claims Khawaja Saad Rafique

Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique. PHOTO: PID/FIL

Taking a jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairperson Imran Khan for persistently calling last year’s general elections rigged, Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday said those who voted for PTI in 2013 are now regretting their decision because of Imran’s ‘childish politics.’

Rafique made this comment while addressing a media conference at the #Lahore Press Club just a few hours before Imran was scheduled to speak to an anti-rigging rally in Islamabad’s #DChowk area.
The railways minister criticised the #PTI chairperson for censuring a system he himself was a part of. Rafique pointed out that Imran complains of rigging only in constituencies his party lost and not in those it won.
“Pakistanis have not seen such immature politics,” Rafique said.
The state minister said Imran – whose party holds 34 seats in the National Assembly and is power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – should use the mandate for productive politics.
“#Victory in the next election will not be based on accusations but on performance,” he said.
On a lighter note, Rafique told media personnel that he hopes climate in Islamabad remains good during PTI’s rally today or else Imran would accuse the government of manipulating the weather as well.
Source: Tribune

11 May PTI and PTA Protest at D-Chowk in Islamabad

Here are some pictures of the arrangements and few banners made by the PTI Protesters.

VIP Stage - Dchowk Islamabad

Stage at a glance

Sitting arrangement at D- Chowk

A boy holding a banner sitting on the way to D - Chowk

PTI Protest Banner

People already on roads, now caravan will not stop

Parvez Elahi

#Lahore- #Pakistan Muslim League ( +PML(N) ) senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Parvez Elahi has said that people were already on the roads. Caravans leading to Islamabad would not stop, building raised on weak foundations cannot be saved, people were getting neither bread nor employment, every evil has increased many times. D-Chowk, #Islamabad will make new history, future of government not known but its opponent movement have a bright future, other parties will also be joining the caravan.

He said this while talking to media after meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Awami Tehrik (#PAT) headed by its Nazim-e-A'ala Khurrum Nawaz Gandapur which had called on him at his residence today. Representative delegation of Dr Tahirul Qadri included Raja Zahid Mahmood, Ch Basharat Jaspal and Ch Fayyaz Warraich also.

Ch Parvez Elahi further said that the people were on the roads, daily processions were being taken out, how can peoples representative parties could stay back in these circumstances?, we were fully supporting the mission of Awami Tehrik, failure of the government was before everyone, load shedding, unemployment, crime, suicides were increasing, those ruling the province with 70 per cent population of the country for six years were worsening the circumstances with every passing day. Stance of our party was based on principle, we are also with Imran Khan in protest against election rigging.

Ch Parvez Elahi said that Kamil Ali Agha in Lahore, Muhammad Basharat Raja in Rawalpindi, Ch Zaheeruddin Khan in Faisalabad, Tariq Bashir Cheema in Bahawalpur and Aamir Sultan Cheema in Sargodha along with big delegations will represent in the protest of Awami Tehrik.
Continuing, he said that in future grand opposition alliance could also be formed. About future of N-League government, he said that it has utilized eleven months on advertisements and MOUs, they should have worked for the welfare of the people, their claim of so-called improvement in economy was merely a propaganda, no country of the world has bought Euro on this rate.

Khurrum Nawaz Gandapur fully endorsed Ch Parvez Elahi regarding pinpointing rigging in the last elections and said that hypocrisy of the rulers had been fully exposed and unveiled, family state was being established, Punjab was being turned barren. N-League was only ruling party for last six years but circumstances were worsening with passage of time, why Shahbaz Sharif who had put on protest camp against load shedding was not setting up camps now? He said that Prime Minister was going around only with his brother Chief Minister Punjab and thus fanning sense of deprivation in smaller provinces, there was no justification for the government which came into power through fake mandate and rigging to stay on; in other countries such governments were dismissed.
Source: The Nation News

Imran warns against stopping of workers from May 11 rally

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan warned Saturday that the government would be held responsible for any agitation or anarchy if demonstrators are stopped from participating in the May 11 rally in Islamabad.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan says the protest movement would continue until the realisation of justice. —File Photo

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Khan also said that democracy would be at the risk of be
ing "derailed" if the government attempts to hold back PTI workers from taking part in the protest.
The PTI has planned a major rally in the federal capital to seek justice against 'record rigging' in last year’s polls and to protest against 'the judiciary’s failure' to give justice to the party.
Sunday marks the passage of a year since the 2013 general elections that brought the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz to the government.
Source: Dawn News

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