PAT sit-ins: Qisas movement to restore true democracy: Qadri

Says every segment of society must unite

LAHORE/GUJRANWALA: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri on Sunday, expressing dismay over disunity among the oppressed people of the country, said “it is strange that those who have been inflicting untold misery on the nation were united while those bearing the hardship were hardly seen taking a united stand against them”.

Addressing PAT sit-ins through video links in 25 cities, Dr Qadri said every segment of society -- be it farmers, doctors, labourers, clerks, nurses, teachers, etc -- must “unite” and “show their defiance to the rulers by coming out on the streets”.

He said: “Disjointed efforts will not serve any purpose -- including an end to 18-hour-long loadshedding and poverty.”

He said: “The dilemma is that people possessing skills and holding genuine degrees are roaming without any jobs while those with fake degrees are making their way to parliament.”

Qadri said the PAT’s Tehreek-e-Qisas was launched to restore real democracy in the country and provide justice to 200 million people of this country, adding “parliament is useless because it has failed even in formulating ToRs”.

The PAT chief said everyone will have to play their role to chase the looters out and to save Pakistan. “A nation cannot have justice by shedding tears. One has to fight for that.”

Qadri said a particular class has been in power for the last 35 years. “The city where the Orange Line Train is being built has hospitals where two or three patients have to share a bed.”

“This is not call true democracy. It is called a system where exploitation of the masses and looting are rampant, where a few families have taken the whole nation as hostage.”

Without naming anyone, he said a religious leader has said that he would not let register seminaries. “The PAT has a university and 600 schools and whoever has the heart can come and register these institutions. Why has this religious leader fears?”

He said no local body elections had been held during the last eight years and now when the elections have been held, the bodies have not been allowed to function. “Is democracy the name of usurping the rights of people?”

“Those who have been burning the ‘home’ built by Quaid-e-Azam are sitting in parliament as law makers. Did he made Pakistan for these looters,” he asked.

He also announced the schedule of protests in Dera Ghazi Khan on August 25, Muzaffargarh, August 26; Multan on August 27 and in Quetta and various other cities of Balochistan on August 29.

(TRANSLATION BY ARSHAD SHAHEEN)

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd,  2016.