Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Dr Tahirul Qadri on Sunday spelled out his 10-point agenda for a ‘post-revolution Pakistan’, saying that he will divide Punjab into seven to nine provinces and appoint district chief ministers. “There will be tehsil assemblies and union council assemblies and they will get funds and work independently,” he told tens of thousands of his supporters and followers at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore.
“Our party (PAT) will contest the next election at any cost,” he said, adding that the 10-point agenda will serve as a ‘revolution manifesto’ as well as his party’s manifesto in the elections. He called upon his supporters to start reorganising the party at the union council level and launch membership drives through cellular phones. “Just text your name and union council number at 80027 and you will become a PAT member,” he told the cheering crowds that included men, women and children.
Qadri said that he envisioned Pakistan as a leader in Asia. “My slogan is ‘No Asia without Pakistan’. We will make Pakistan so strong that all other Asian countries will be dependent on it,” he said.
The populist cleric put to rest rumours that his party was cutting a clandestine deal with the government over the June 17 killing of his supporters at the Minhajul Quran International Secretariat in Model Town, Lahore.
“We will not accept Diyat [blood-money] for any of martyrs of the June 17 Model Town tragedy. Our demand is only Qisas [Life for life],” he added.
Coming back to his 10-point agenda, Qadri promised ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ for all. “Everybody will get a house. Everybody will get bread and clothing. Everyone will get a job, while the poor will get kitchen items on half prices. Those earning less than Rs15,000 a month will pay half of their utility bills. Similarly, medical treatment and education will be free for the poor,” he added.
Moreover, the PAT chief said that landless peasants would be allotted five-to-10 acres of land, while women would be provided opportunities to work in home-based industry. “Legislation will be made to ensure nobody declares anyone a non-believer or promote extremism and religious hatred,” he added.
Qadri hit out at the government for its failure to overcome the debilitating energy crisis in the country. “If all nine new power projects of the government become functional, then they will generate 5,094MW of electricity by 2017 and by that time our national demand will reach 35,000MW,” he said.
Giving details of his party’s energy plan, he said that after coming to power his party’s government will all tap all sources, including wind, bio fuel and solar, to generate electricity. “There will be no need for WAPDA as every town, city and district will produce its own electricity,” he added. “We will produce electricity from canals in Punjab and install micro hydro projects of 25MW. Similarly, from Karachi to Gwadar, we will install sea turbines.”
Singling out Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for criticism, Qadri said that he spent “Rs50 billion on just one Metro bus in Lahore. This money could have provided clean drinking water to the whole of Punjab.”
He said that a foreign company has been given the contract of cleaning Lahore city. “Can we not even clean our cities? This is just because the rulers want kickbacks from foreign companies’ contracts,” he added.
Earlier, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Sahibzada Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, former Punjab governor Ghulam Mustafa Khar, Allama Nasir Abbas Jaffri, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali also addressed the procession.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2014.
COMMENTS (15)
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@Faisal Hussain: Please read PTI Workers United comment. Who will pay for his roti Kaapra aur makan? Hollow promises. His promise of 34 provinces will lead to 34 corrupt Chief Ministers instead of 4 today. As for bad governance is his son not holding a key position in the party? Oh wait a minute. So are his other kids and family. Plus he claims on danish TV the Hudood ordnance is wrong but on Pakistani TV that it is something he wrote. Hypocrite. I have plenty of more arguments to counter him.
I challenge any one to counter this guy's arguments that he presents as solutions to our problems... counter corruption by decentralization, counter miss administration by creating more provinces, counter bad governance by limiting federal jurisdiction and empowering local bodies... this guy is so sound in his vision that I cannot find any argument to counter him! he has won my mind!! he make complete sense hence I don't see a single person commenting on his arguments there is no counter for critics to his speech or his plan of revolution except personal attacks... I CHALLENGE YOU ALL READERS TO PRESENT SOME LOGICAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST HIS SPEECH OR WHAT HE SAYS / PROPOSES AS SOLUTIONS TO OUR PROBLEMS!
@Ll: Breaking Pakistan? what nonsense! oh... let it be broken through terrorism, sectarianism, corruption, partisan politics, rigging, piracy, insecurity, injustice.... and when someone gives a logical plan on how to counter these elements.... you suddenly wake up to a broken Pakistan and start calling the fixer the breaker.... where have you been for all these years... speak logic not idiocracy!
@Aam Aadmi: he talks of 7 provinces in Punjab and overall 34 provinces in Pakistan.. .have you been sleeping for the past two months?
Islamabad On the nights of 30-31 August 2014 on Inqalab March & Freedom March Poisson tear-gas shells was fired imported from Hindustan and delivered in the Raivind Nawaz House! Go Nawaz Go
@Saleem: Apparently you don't understand the meaning of 'dual citizenship' this isn't the 1950's anymore you can't deny someone their rights based on their relationships with another country, that is completely neutral with Pakistan, maybe you and your party, N-league should drill this into their heads.
@SEAsian: Do you see an Indian flag everywhere? Even on rainbows?
Sir Qadri Saheb: Please have a mercy on this nation of illiterate, ignorant and blind followers. Enough is enough... Please do not incite "Fitna".
Stop breaking pakistan qadri!!!
Talk is cheap TuQ. Who will pay for your roti kapra aur makan? Maybe the same guys paying for your dharna? Where do you get the money from? Canadian tax rate is 48 % remember. Would like to see you deliver on something in life rather than just raise trouble with your cult.
he is sensible now!
It is very strange that this Canadian is thrusting breakup of Punjab but keeps mum about new provinces in Sindh, Balochistan and K-P. His strings are being pulled to hurt the Punjab government only where the governance is better than all other provinces, as proven by many international surveys.
Why are the colors of the Indian flag being used?
Why don't all these foreigners give their vision to their adopted homeland. I wonder when would queen make up and stop her subjects from meddling in other countries affairs. . Pakistanis should start talking about more provinces in UK and Canada. And support secession movements in those countries as well. If their citizens can do that in Pakistan then when why can't Pakistani do the same in those countries.
This is the way to do it. Get your policies costed by independent firm like pricewaterhouse coopers and then take part in elections. If poeple like your policies they will elect your party. And stop this dharna politics.