Pakistan government accepted demands of Qadri and long march ended

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (DND) – All political parties sitting in treasury benches in the parliament of Pakistan at lasted accepted demands of Dr.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (DND) – All political parties sitting in treasury benches in the parliament of Pakistan at lasted accepted demands of Dr. Tahirul Qadri on Thursday night and signed the Islamabad Long March Declaration (ILMD) and a peaceful 65-hour sit-in in the front of Parliament Building in Islamabad dispersed peacefully. According to estimations, around one million people participated in this Long March last night although heavy rain in Islamabad was unbearable when mercury fell down to -1c last night. This March testified that Pakistani as a nation is peaceful and well-disciplined, provided there is a leadership to give them right directions.

Thousands of people kept sitting outside the Parliament building in Islamabad for five days and four nights including women, girls, children, men, and boys on the call of moderate Islamist religious-political party of Dr. Tahirul Qadri of Tehreek-e-Minhaj ul Quran who demanded the disbanding of parliament before the forthcoming general elections and formation of an interim government of all stakeholders of society instead of only parties present in Parliament and enforcement of Article 62 and 63 of the constitution of Pakistan that indicates that corrupt people cannot contend in general elections and cannot become part of Parliament.

Negotiations between sitting government and Dr. Tahirul Qadri started last night, and the deadlock ended when government decided to accept his demands minus his demand of abolishing the Election Commission of Pakistan to formulate a new Election Commission.

The political drama reached its peak on Thursday afternoon when Dr. Qadri during his speech from his purpose-built, bunker-like Caravan gave a one-and-a-half-hour ultimatum to government to accept his demands or face the consequences. He said in his speech that participants of the March will take the law into their own hands and would not sit peacefully once the time of ultimatum has expired. After this situation, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, sent a high-powered, 10-membered delegation headed by the former Prime Minister, Ch. Shujaat Hussian, and Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed to finalize the accord.

After 6 hours of consultations, the Islamabad Long March Declaration was signed by the Prime Minister, and all demands except abolishing the Election Commission were accepted. Dr. Tahirul Qadri read the Declaration and took the consent from the participants and announced the end of the Long March and sit-in.

Dr. Qadri calls Pakistani Parliament as bogus, corrupt, incompetent, and useless, maintaining that the country was ruled by radical forces and terrorists, and leaders were enjoying their lives instead of addressing these issues and providing peace and honest governance to the country.

Therefore it has been decided that Parliament will be disbanded before March 15, 2013, and an interim government will be constituted with the consultation of all stakeholders sitting in and outside the parliament including Dr. Qadri and his party, Minhajul Quran. This sit-in was supported by the Shia community of a country that is facing cleansing and genocide by radical Wahabi and Salafi religious groups including the Taliban. Therefore, strict action against terrorists will be taken by the government to ensure the safety of all communities including minorities.

When Dispatch News Desk (DND) contacted Senator Mushahid Hussian Syed, who is a signatory of this Declaration from the government side, he was of the view that the people of Pakistan had written a new history and shown to whole world that they are a peaceful nation, and they do not believe in violence, and not a single flower was plucked by a mob of around a million people. He stated that a special meeting will be held in Lahore at the residence of Dr. Qadri on January 27, 2013 to start execution of the decisions of Islamabad Declaration.

When DND spoke with Zurqranain Haidar, a senior journalist and reporter of ARY News International who covered this sit-in and Long March, he was of the opinion that government had no option but to accept the demands of Dr. Qadri, because not a single participant left the place even after heavy rain sitting under an open sky, and all participants were of the view that they had gathered here till the last day of their life or till the acceptance of their just demands.

This was the first ever Long March of a single party in the history of Pakistan, because all previous Long Marches were held by alliances of political parties.

Political analysts are of the view that this is not a success for Dr. Qadri, but rather a a success of the moderate religious faction against extremism and radical forces. Dr. Qadri believes in dialogue and non-violence, and he has a stiff position against the Taliban and radical forces while all other political parties sitting in opposition have a soft spot for the Taliban as being part of the dictatorial rule of Gen. Ziaul Haq who harbored Jihadis and Islamists to fight Afghan Jihad. Opposition parties, including the former Prime Minister, Mian Nawaz Sharif; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islaman, Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan; and Jamiat Alahadith had been part of the Majlis-i-Shura (Islamic non-elected Parliament) of Ziauh Haq and his non-party-based election of the year 1985.

In his concluding speech, Dr. Qadri stated his appreciation for the sitting government in understanding the grave situation and amicably resolving the issue. He also stated his appreciation of the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, who passed the directions that the government would not use any force to disperse the participants if they remained peaceful.

www.dnd.com.pk
www.dispatchnewsdesk.com

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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