Elimination of terrorism not possible under existing legal framework: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

PAT chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that we are informing the military leadership in advance that the political parties that demonstrated their consensus regarding establishment of the military courts in the APC will now resort to political gimmicks. He said that the terrorists have been benefiting from the existing laws, anti-terrorism courts, and police. He said that terrorism would not go under the framework of the existing law. He said that it is the result of political use of anti-terrorism courts that the need to establish military courts has been felt. He said that the government does not still have a clear intention so far as the matter of military courts is concerned and it is for this reason that it is getting its political allies to give statements against it.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while talking to central PAT media cell from Houston (USA) yesterday. He said that what the government cannot say with courage, it uses the services of its declared and not so declared allies to speak on its behalf. He said that the world took on the beast of terrorism and eliminated it in larger national interest without paying much heed to international law, and democratic niceties. He said that had the existing law of the land been helpful in elimination of terrorism, we would not have come to this pass.

Dr Qadri underlined the need of thorough understanding of national and international laws, courage, and determination to eradicate terrorism, adding that the present government does not have these things in its arsenal because the power remains concentrated in a leadership which has tunnel vision and is oblivious to demands of times. He asked those talking about constitutional position on the military courts to tell whether the constitution allows slitting of innocents’ throats and plundering the national wealth; and whether the constitution allows stealing the mandate of the masses. He said that if the constitutional stipulation is the reason as to why the military courts cannot be established, then why can a constitutional amendment not be passed to address the requirement? He said that our history is replete with instances where amendments were made to the constitution within minutes and no one raised even an eyebrow, asking why is hue and cry being raised now?