LAHORE: Dr Tahirul Qadri does not represent the majority of honest expatriates, who were forced to go abroad in search of a livelihood. Most expatriates are honest and hardworking people, mostly working on work visas in the Gulf or Middle East and the few who have sought foreign nationalities in the West, continue to repatriate their savings to Pakistan, where their dependent families reside. As for Dr Qadri, according to his own statement, he had applied for immigration to Canada in 1998, and yet chose to contest elections for the National Assembly in 2002. From events, it seems that the moment he got a response from Canada, he resigned and left for his dream country, where he later swore an oath of allegiance to seek its nationality.
This casts doubts about his commitment to his country of origin. When such privileged individuals abandon their motherland on flimsy grounds of obtaining a travel document, it raises questions and doubts. It becomes a matter of concern when such privileged elite, after having enjoyed and benefitted from opportunities in Pakistan, choose to abandon their country of birth in order to adopt a condescending attitude towards our superior judiciary.
With all due respect to the sentiments of scores of his followers, may I ask Dr Qadri would he dare address the Canadian Supreme in the tone and choice of words that he used for the Pakistani superior judiciary? Litigants have the right to criticise judgments but they do not have the right to slander and insult the judiciary.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2013.
