Tahirul Qadri’s party rejects alternative plan for peaceful protest at F-9 Park. PHOTO: NNI/ FILE
Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration officials on Friday rejected a formal request by Minhajul Quran International (MQI) to hold a rally in front of parliament, citing overcrowding and capacity as bottlenecks.
Instead, the administration suggested a change of venue for the MQI’s January 14 rally, proposing the lush fields of the F-9 Park near the centre of the city, much farther from D-Chowk. MQI leaders immediately shot down the proposal.
Sources in the Islamabad administration informed The Express Tribune that the chief of MQI’s Punjab chapter, Ahmed Nawaz Anjum, had formally requested the Islamabad administration to allow the party to hold a peaceful rally at D-chowk.
A delegation of MQI leaders, including Ahmed Nawaz Anjum and the head of the party’s Islamabad chapter Syed Bashir Hussain, filed the plea at the office of the chief commissioner Islamabad on Friday. The administration, however, rejected the appeal after analysing the situation.
Justifying their decision, the Islamabad administration stated that the place could not accommodate more than four million people.
“If you bring such a huge amount of people, it would exceed Islamabad’s total population,” said an official of the Islamabad administration.
Meanwhile, the authority suggested an alternative venue for the MQI. The administration proposed that the rally could be held at the F-9 Park located towards the outskirts of the city which could accommodate the expected number of participants.
In an attempt to persuade the Islamabad Capital Territory administration authorities the MQI leader stated the arrangements chalked out for the rally. The MQI officials assured the city administration that the organisation would bear all expenses on the arrangements for the stay of the participants in Islamabad. Amjum informed the authority that the participants would be provided with make shift tents, beds and other necessities.
They further informed the authorities that the MQI had arranged mobile lavatories for the participants of the rally which would be deployed near the venue and along the rally’s route. The MQI officials insisted they would take complete responsibility for maintain the peace of the rally.
Following the disagreement and evidently unmoved in their demand to hold a rally at the Parliament House the MQI leaders decided to take the matter up to the interior ministry to decide.
“We assured the administration and we want to assure everyone else that our long march will be peaceful and non-violent,” said the media secretary of the MQI, Ghulam Ali.
The MQI officials later in the day met the Interior Ministry Secretary of the Siddiq Akbar to acquire permission for the rally however, the request was yet again rejected by the ministry.
The matter was later taken up by Interior Minister Rehman Malik who is due to meet representatives of the party on Monday January 7 to come to an acceptable solution.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated that F-9 Park is located on city's outskirts. The error has been fixed.
COMMENTS (18)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1732643921-0/4548774-1403918848-(1)1732643921-0-270x192.webp "pakistan to strengthen naval defence with its first frigate sized warship")
Who is financially supporting this rally?
Zaid hamid failed to mobalise people with his firey speeches on nationalists sentiments despite wide media coverage.Difae-Pakistan has met with same fate.PTI is struggling eversince to bring tsunami on popular,yet cheap slogan of change, and now! what it apperas to be,last attempt by deep state,to derail democracy with TQ.Nothing is going to happen but a little bit chaos.
Protest for what? Protest that we don't have right to vote. Protest that we have no independent and free judicial system, Protest that there is no freedom of Press, Protest that we have no freedom of religion. Fact is that we are world's number one free nation and this Mullah wants to take away our freedoms. We will not allow him to destroy our life style.
@choptocut: There should be orders to shoot to kill for those not complying with law.
This is a dangerous statement. Asking to shoot the violators of 144, but not shooting the lynchers and saboteurs under alleged incidents of blasphemy.
Why doesnt he take his millions of supporters and get them to do their day job? How does shutting down cities help a country full of day labourers and people surviving hand to mouth!
Shame! A millions shame! Those who pretend being democratic must go and hang themselves or be lynvhed by the masses. It's not denying Dr. Qadri anything but it is displaying contempt to the people whose voice Dr. Qadri has raised. No one may be allowed or can take away from people what they are guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan, we as citizens have a right to assemble and protest against whatever we find oppressive and contrary to public interest. We reject this present system of exploitation and oppression of our masses by this oligarchy of feudal and corrupt moneyed classes of Pakistan. Dr. Qadri is our leader and WE MUST SUPPORT HIM IN HIS STRUGGLE TO WIN US BACK WHAT IS OURS in Pakistan. CHALO! CGALO! ISLAMABAD CHALO!
Qadri wants to hold the protest in a peaceful manner and its seems MQI would take responsibility of all the arrangements. so I don't know why the authorities of a 'democratic' country would have issue with that? The only reason is if they fear something from the march itself?
I think what Qadri is trying to achieve is courageous and I for once will join the march. Not because I am part of MQM/PAT/MQI but because I am a pakistani wanting a radical change in pakistan
Its the Right time to change the corrupt electoral system of Pakistan. Freedom of speech and expression, They should be allowed as peaceful rally...
Qadri we are with u. We want a tahrir square . We want true democracy.
It is a democratic right for people to protest. The irony here is that the protest is against the so called democracy which can only be described as a civil Autocracy. Once we have electoral reforms, the main objective of 14 jan march, then we can head towards true democracy.
The march will be peaceful, as was the 23dec gathering, and should be allowed to go ahead without restrictions.
It is a democratic right for the people to protest. The irony here is that the protest here is against the so called Democarcy which at best can only be described as a Civil Autocarcy. Once we have have electoral reforms, the main aim of the protest, then we can head towards true democracy.
This will be a peaceful march as was the 23Dec gathering at Menare Pakistan.
@choptocut.
Don't be an idiot. There is enough killing around already. Peaceful protests against corrupt rulers and a broken system should be allowed.
What is everyone on about?
ET, How on earth do you decide F9 Park is on the "outskirts" of the city? I would have described it as the middle really. On it's one side are all the commercial areas (towards blue area) where everyone works and on the other side are all the more residential sectors towards F10 where everyone lives. It is smack in the middle for me, a resident of Islamabad.
I don't see why MQI has a problem with it.
Holding a protest/rally in the Fatima Jinnah/F-9 Park would be like "Jungle mein mor nacha kis ne dekha". Obviously, it has been the first tactic of the ICT administration to resist any such protest and was bound to be rejected.
There should be orders to shoot to kill for those not complying with law. People can cast their vote to express their preferences. There is no need of such imported MAMAs of the nation to teach the people that whom and how should they behave.
F-9 Park on the city’s outskirts
Clearly you've never been to Islamabad! Armchair journalists?