After more than 60 years, Dr Tahirul Qadri has given a call to the people to gather in large numbers on Aug 14.
LAHORE: On May 10, 1857, Indian soldiers stationed at Meerut Cantonment serving the East India Company staged a rebellion against the British Raj that gradually spread all over the country and is now known as the First War of Independence.
A rumour went about in Pakistan on the eve of its first centenary that a significant change was going to take place in the sub-continent on this date (May 10, 1957). Allama Inyatullah Khan Mashriqi, a graduate of Cambridge University and a religious scholar and leader of the Khaksar Party, announced that if 100,000 persons were to gather at Iqbal Park in Lahore (then called Manto Park) with a bailcha (spade), 57 pao atta and 57 athanyan (half a rupee), he would lead a march towards Delhi, India. To promote this, posters bearing the words Delhi key taraf pehla qadam (“First step towards Delhi”) were plastered all over Lahore. He, however, warned that if even one person was short of the targeted figure, the march would be called off. The march never took place because not many people showed up in response to his call. After more than 60 years, the leader of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik, Dr Tahirul Qadri, an eminent scholar and lawyer, has given a call to the people to gather in large numbers on Aug 14, for a march towards Islamabad to bring about a radical change in the socio-political system of the country. He seems convinced that the time is ripe for such a change.
The details of the plan has not been announced yet but let us see if unlike Allama Mashriqi, Dr Qadri gets a positive response to his call.
Anwar Khalil Sheikh
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2014.
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