Free, fair polls not possible under present ECP: Qadri

Qadri says elections under biased commission would lead to rigging, rioting and bloodshed.

GUJRANWALA:

Free and fair elections are not possible under the present election commission, Minhajul Quran International (MQI) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri said Friday.

Speaking to reporters after a public gathering in Gujranwala, he said that he was disappointed by the Supreme Court (SC) judgment regarding his petition against the election commission.

He maintained that the present election commission had no constitutional, legal, or moral standing. The polls held under the biased election commission would lead to widespread rigging, rioting and bloodshed, he warned.

Qadri also said that if the election commission, power politics and harassment remain the same, the same people will return to the assemblies. “If this happens I fear that Pakistan will break up in the next five years,” said Qadri.

He added that his party has yet to decide whether to take part in elections. However, the SC ruled earlier this week that he is ineligible to run.

Earlier, speaking at a public gathering organised by the PAT, Qadri lashed out at the forces of the status quo and told the people to rise up against feudalism and forces of oppression.



He added that expecting justice was futile in a country where 1.6 million cases were pending in the courts.

“Within two months, I have exposed the real faces of the rulers,” he said. “A clique of corrupt feudal lords has taken control of the country and though they may belong to different political parties and institutions they stand united against whoever raises voice against their exploitation.”

Qadri said he wants to see a prosperous Pakistan that stands tall among the comity of nations, but for that, he maintained that feudalism would have to be eliminated to end the cycle of exploitation.

He said that he dreams of a Pakistan that has a strong economy, where the Parliament serves the people, farmers, labourers and workers are content and happy, where everyone’s life and honour is safe.

The PAT chairman also told reporters that according to the International Risk Survey, Pakistan is the world’s second most dangerous country.

“We have hit the bottom due to our own poor decisions, we have been choosing the wrong people for the past 60 years,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2013.