Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri questions ECP’s silence on distribution of Rs. 12 billion as political bribe

Addressing the joint Central Working Council meeting of PAT and MQI via telephone on February 20, 2015, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has asked the workers to start preparing for local government polls side by side with the internal elections of the party. He said that the government distributed political bribe to the tune of Rs. 12 billion among legislators, asking as to why the Election Commission is silent on this open corruption. He said that the government’s obduracy on the national issues of rigging and the Model Town tragedy has increased manifold than before, adding that MQI and PAT are facing vindictive actions of the government for raising voice against terrorism and extremism. He said that after Model Town tragedy, the government has stooped low as it is indulging in an act of cancelling the registration of Minhaj-ul-Quran. He, however, made it clear that no devious or petty tactic of the rulers can demoralize the workers, adding that veil on the faces of the Model Town killers will be lifted soon.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that terrorism would not end without putting in place a unified command and control system. He reiterated his stance that the present rulers have soft corner for extremists and terrorists and they would not let the National Action Plan against terrorism succeed. He said that those who did not tire of claiming to bring back money from Swiss banks have themselves transferred Rs. 500 billion of corruption to Dubai. He said that the policy of reconciliation and consensus is being adhered to by both the government and opposition on the issue of corruption and plunder of national resources. He demanded that NAB and FIA should release a list of wealthy Pakistanis who purchased properties of worth millions of rupees abroad in last 18 months. He said that the loans are being stashed abroad in the form of commissions. He said that as long as these rulers stay imposed, the people will continue to get crushed under the weight of economic meltdown, political instability, price hike, and terrorism.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the PAT and its workers will have an important role on the political landscape of the country in days to come. He asked the workers to prepare for decisive struggle against corrupt rulers and oppressive system, adding that we would change the system of oppression by being elected to the assemblies. He vowed that he would continue his fight for restoration of rights of the masses till the last breath of his life. He said that we would not rest till we change the so-called democratic system in which 14 innocent people are martyred in Model Town and 257 people are burnt to death in Karachi. He said that while the rulers have deployed police for their personal security, the masses have been left to protect themselves. He said that terrorist incidents in Peshawar, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Shikarpur after tragedy of December 16 are enough to open our eyes to the challenge of terrorism. He said that every major city of the country is the target of terrorism while the government is busy breaking its own record of corruption in the Senate elections.

Dr Qadri said that the Prime Minister did not give even a single penny to the members of the assemblies in the name of development funds during last 18 months, asking as to why he upon the idea of community development during the election campaign for Senate elections. He said that studied silence of the Election Commission on this open rigging has proven our point of view right that the powerless Election Commission cannot eliminate the scourge of rigging. He said that had the Election Commission been powerful, the government would not have had the courage to distribute Rs. 12 billion as political bribe. He revealed that Pakistan’s politicians, bureaucrats, and hoarders bought properties of worth Rs. 500 billion in Dubai during last one and half year, which is why 50 per cent of people are below poverty line and 80% of them remain deprived of basic necessities of life such as clean drinking water, education and health. He said that this section of Pakistanis has become the second largest community in terms of purchasing properties in Dubai.