Qadri assures democracy won't be derailed, hints at room for talks: Malik

Malik advises Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to send a delegation to PAT chief to hold negotiations


Web Desk August 13, 2014

LAHORE: With just hours before the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) was supposed to march out of Model Town as part of its revolution march, the party's chief Dr Tahirul Qadri told Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Rehman Malik early on Thursday morning that democracy will not be derailed and that there was still room for talks with the government, Express News reported.

Talking to media persons outside the Minhajul Quran secretariat in Lahore, Malik said that he had held talks with Qadri in a congenial atmosphere.

The PPP leader said that the PAT chief had assured him that the revolution march, scheduled to set out of Lahore in unison with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Azadi March on Thursday morning, was not aimed at derailing the democratic process in the country.

Recalling Qadri's sit-in protest in Islamabad in early 2013, Malik said that under PPP’s tenure the government had facilitated Qadri and amicably reached an agreement. The former interior minister said that Qadri told him it would be better if something similar happens this time round as well, hinting at some room for talks.

"I appeal to Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, please send somebody [delegation] to him, I see some room [for negotiation]."

Saying that it is the democratic right of Qadri to protest, the PPP leader urged the government to allow PAT to proceed with its march just like Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been allowed.

COMMENTS (6)

Saleem Ahsan | 9 years ago | Reply

Qadri and his party PAT since its formation in 1989 have remained peaceful andnon-violent. Quite strange when Qadri shows poltical sagacity and hints at talks, of course avoiding clashes, with government in line with his democratic credentials , he is maligned. Qadri has rallied around thousand of Pakistani people by highlighting ills of sham democracy but he is demonised again and again. Does being dual national one forfeits the right to desire anything positive in his country of origin? . The way Qadri's predictions about massive electoral fraud in 2013 have turned out to be true gives Qadri a status of visionary. We must keep in mind that all so-called democratic parties PML-N, PPP , ANP, JI, JUI-F , MQM were studiously united against Qadri last year when he prophetically apprehended electoral fraud and desired reconstitution of Election Commission of Pakistan.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply

If 5 years of PPP and 1year of PML-N's loot and plunder is classified as " democracy " then the people want none of it.

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