22nd Foundational Day of PAT celebrated

A ceremony that marked the celebration of the 22nd foundational day of Pakistan Awami Tehreek was held on May 27, 2011 at the central secretariat, which was attended by others by Sahibzada Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Sayyid Noubahar Shah, Sayyid Ali Ghazanfer Kararvi, Anwar Akhtar Advocate, G M Malik, Jawad Hamid, Dr Tanvir Azam Sandhu, Raja Jamil Ajmal, Afzal Gujjar, Hafiz Ghulam Farid, Chaudhry Ishtiaq, M.H. Shaheen and other central leaders of PAT.

The proceedings of the conference got underway at 10 a.m. followed by Naat. The leaders of Pakistan Awami Tehreek spoke on the occasion.

Expressing his views, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, said that the situation as indicated by the recent developments has deteriorated to such a level that people have fallen victim to despondency and disappointment. They have, he said, lost faith in the future. The national security is faced with potent dangers and if the people do not take to the streets to change the status quo, the entire responsibility would be on their shoulders. He reminded the people that it was still time to initiate mid-course correction both at individual and collective levels. He added that PAT believes in democracy and restoration of healthy political culture. He assured that PAT would continue its struggle for transfer of political rights to the masses.

Newly elected president of Punjab chapter of PAT, Muhammad Lehrasib Khan Gondal, said that the rulers need to awaken their patriotism to break the shackles of economic slavery in order to attain true independence. He said that he had full faith in the leadership of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri to bring about much needed change in the country. He reminded the workers of PAT of their duty to transfer the vision of Shaykh-ul-Islam to other countrymen. He said that PAT fully rejected the present corrupt pro-elite electoral system and believed in the awakening of public awareness about their rights.

PAT President Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani said that the day when people became aware of their duty to return the trust to their rightful inheritors, political and social revolution would take place in the country. He said that awakening awareness among the people is a long and arduous journey which needs to be traveled with patience and commitment. He said that politics is about plundering the public wealth but about serving the masses. He said that PAT under the leadership of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is engaged in the struggle to change the destiny of people of Pakistan.

PAT Secretary General Anwar Akhtar Advocate said that Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has the capability and determination to steer the country out of its present predicaments. He said that the day when parliament became representative, the country’s destiny would change for the better. He said that the present parliament is subordinate to the diktat of the party leaders.

Muhammad Afzal Gujjar, PAT president of Lahore chapter, said that the rotten system, which is afflicted by corruption, has brought the country to the point of destruction. He said that PAT would continue its struggle to send the present system packing.

Hafiz Ghulam Farid said that PAT is busy propagating the attitudes of the good and the people would see their consequences. He asked the people not to be consumed by disappointment as the leadership of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri was there to steer them out of the problems.

G.M. Malik said that the misuse of power of vote is responsible for the present crisis facing Pakistan. If people, he said, elect their representatives on the basis of competence, character and credibility, a new and empowered parliament would emerge out of their vote, which would take the country out of its problems.

Jawad Hamid said that those at the helm of affairs do not represent masses. They have rode onto corridors of power on the basis of their power and wealth. He asked the people to change their behaviour when it came to voting their representatives into power. The country’s fate would only change with this change in people’s attitudes, he concluded.

Dr Tanvir Azam Sandhu said that Pakistan is faced with a multiple crises of law and order, dearness, energy, corruption, and terrorism. PAT, added, has the capacity to bring the country out of these problems. He said that the struggle Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri launched 22 years ago would meet its success soon and people would become the master of their destiny.

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri delivered his keynote speech from Canada through video conferencing.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the country suffers from the worst leadership crisis and the present electoral system does not offer any respite. “Even if elections continue to be held for another 100 years under the present system, the problems of 97% of masses would remain alive and kicking with the dynastic politics staying intact,” he held. He stated that it is incumbent upon the workers to leave no stone unturned to send this system packing and launch the campaign of increasing public awareness about it.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that national security stands threatened today and the military installations and establishments are being targeted with abandon. Terrorism, he said, has become standard norm in the country. The rulers are content that some of the cosmetic steps would take care of the scourge of terrorism and extremism. Dr Qadri underlined the need of serious and solid decisions after identifying the major causes that spawn these monsters. He said that the entire nation needs to forge unity in its ranks and come out to call for change in the system. He warned that the future generations would not forgive us if we failed to do our duty. He said that the country is passing through critical times and there is a need to produce collective thinking at this juncture. He said that unless we changed our thoughts, we would continue to be subject to various kinds of crises. He said that PAT is laying down the foundation-stone of comprehensive change through awakening of public awareness.