PAT opted out of elections on principles: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, the leader of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, has said that the living nations take bold decisions at critical junctures in their history. He said that we were standing at one of similar points today and the nation needed to break free of the cruel hold of electoral fraud which had become our bane over the last six decades. He said that casting vote under the present electoral system would be meant to provide longevity to loot, corruption and plunder.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that backtracking on the pledge made before the 180 million people was the high point of dishonesty and faithlessness. He said that this was the defining characteristic of the conduct of politicians and so-called democrats. He asked the people to join public sit-ins to be held on the polling day and reject the incumbent system. He predicted that a government coming into being through illegal and unconstitutional process would offer nothing to the people except disappointment and despondency. He said that the struggle of PAT drew a clear line between the oppressors and the oppressed.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while addressing an important meeting of Executive Council of PAT telephonically from abroad the other day. Khurram Nawaz Gundapur, Anwar Akhtar Advocate, Qazi Faiz-ul-Islam, GM Malik, Bashrat Jaspal, Fayyaz Warriach, Sajid Bhatti, Jawad Hamid and Abdul Hafiz Ch were present on the occasion.

Dr Qadri said that on the one hand, the people were deprived of the basic necessities of life and bearing brunt of inflation, load-shedding, and terrorism, the ruling elite was immersed in merry making on the other. He said that as a result of PAT’s struggle, people had greater understanding of constitutional matters such as Articles 62 and 63 and were demanding their rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan. He said that PAT rejected the drama of elections as it was being held without due electoral reforms. He said that we would never compromise on principles. He said that the purpose of his struggle was to create conditions for establishment of real democracy in the country in which people could determine their destiny out of free will.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that Pakistan’s national security faced threats from various quarters, while the political elite was unaware of these realities. He said that the conduct of politicians had rendered the institutions and the roots of the country hollow. He said that corruption was order of the day that was eating into vitals of state and society. He said that when the country was weak internally, it increased its external vulnerability.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that in a country in which the ministers and advisors were known as having been tax evaders and loan defaulters, participation in election without fundamental reforms would be akin to protecting the system of loot and plunder. He said that elections in these circumstances were a test case for the Chief Election Commissioner’s credibility and integrity. He said that PAT was the only party, which decided to opt out of electoral exercise due to unconstitutional composition of the ECP. He said that even if 100 elections were held under the present system, no change would come about and the people would look forward to martial law to deliver them from so-called democracy.