Present Parliament has no understanding of people’s problems: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

PAT chief Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that those sitting in Parliament are so alienated from ground realities that they have no understanding of them. He said that these parliamentarians do not know what problems the millions of people are facing. He said that had the Constitution been alive, the marchers would not have needed to come to Islamabad, adding that we have come to Islamabad to restore Constitution so that millions of people could get their rights. He further said that had the Constitution been alive, rights would have been delivered to masses at their door-step and they would not have to struggle for them.

These views were expressed by Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri as he spoke to thousands of PAT activists encamped outside the Parliament House on September 10. The marchers raised slogans as Dr Qadri blasted the way governance was carried out in Pakistan.

Dr Qadri, while responding to criticism of his opponents, said that he who does not know should ask the ministers as to what my container is like. He said that there was no democracy could be established in a country if the people did not enjoy economic independence? He said that democracy is intrinsically linked to economic freedom enabling the electorate to make free choice. He said that we want to put in place a system of equality in the country thereby ending the social and economic apartheid between haves and have-nots.

He made it clear that given the questionable way Parliament came into being, it is undemocratic, immoral, and unconstitutional and had no reason to stay. He said that what is being talked about in Parliament every day does not have any relevance to the issues of common man. He said that people's lives are miserable due to corruption of rulers. He said that economy of the country is on the brink of collapse as the government failed to bring about any structural reforms and focused on borrowing only.

Dr Qadri said that 70% of those sitting in Parliament are tax evaders and loan defaulters. He said that politicians plunder resources of this country and park them in foreign banks. The successive governments, he said, have taken a loan of Rs. 10,000 billions. He revealed that Rs. 75 billion are being smuggled annually from three airports of the country. He said that the economic future of the people has been mortgaged and that there is a daily corruption of Rs. 8 billion, which is eating into vitals of state and society. He said that the government does not have the money to pay annual interest.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that Pakistan is the only country that does not have any national purpose, adding that the whole country is in the hands of merchants who are playing with destiny of the people to maximize their profit by abusing their political positions. The country is insecure due to flawed policies of the government.

He said that he wants to give this country alternative economic policy that will be instrumental in changing the lives of people. He said that all banks will be independent of government's control and interference. He promised that information about all foreign donors will be made public.

Expressing his grief on the loss of precious lives and damage to properties in floods, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri criticized the performance of the governments. He said that had prior and timely planning been carried out to prevent floods, they would have not caused this much devastation. He said that present system of government is based on luxury & wastage of resources. He held that we will replace luxurious style of government with austere one. He said that profit-earning institutions are incurring loss due to corruption.

We will make Parliament real representative of people.

Dr Qadri said that present government consists of close blood relations such as uncles, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, son-in-law and nephews etc. He said that money meant for flood victims is being spent on maintaining palaces of rulers. He said that the rulers do not come to power with mandate of people but due to their compulsions. He said that policies adopted by the Parliament do not represent people's aspirations. He said that the big fish do not pay their taxes, while the poor are bearing brunt of indirect taxes. He said that the government does not the capacity to return domestic loans to the tune of Rs. 7500 billion.

He said that he talks of law and the Constitution in his speeches, further saying that if anyone who wants to respond should do so in the language of the Constitution. He said that printing of currency will be made conditional on parliamentary approval.

He emphasized that his revolution march is purely constitutional and legal.