Tahir Ul Qadri Press Conference

[aftab]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... _Ssga8R-2s

What do the respected forum members make of Tahir ul Qadri?

[resurrected]

Here comes the man, who has been groomed somewhere far away. Nothing wrong to seek reconciliation with other faiths but it should be done on the basis of equality and not by surrendering.
Tahir is having too strange claims to become my cup of tea.
Good luck to him if he really wants to help his fellow beings and not some power to share with other gutless!

[Mirza Ghalib]

Glad you had your say first, Res. And hats off to your first sentence. Practically nothing remains to be added after that. Nonetheless, let me tie up a few loose ends. Firstly since my qawali days, I've never liked or trusted the bloke, although I do owe him a debt of gratitude for the support he gave our Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, for instance.

As to the video, flowery language and little or no substance. And where some substance emerges, then what have we got once again: the copycat techniques all, but all the political parties in Pakistan have now adopted. IK lite is what we get, over and over again. Lets just hope people won't get taken in by this dual national whose sudden appearance on the scene is once again proof that some people are running very, very sacred in this country.

[aftab]

Thank you gentlemen, exactly what i expected to hear from both of you! What i don't get with him and a lot of these people who want to condemn terrorism is why they always seem to forget to condemn, state sponsored terrorism, which is more destructive!

[Mirza Ghalib]

What did you make of the Qadri jalsa, aftab? An attempt to usher in the technocratic, caretaker government perhaps or something totally different? An you, resurrected or SN, what was your take on the whole thing. I am more mystified than anything else.

Oh, and aftab, an excellent Point you made there about State-sponsored terrorism as opposed to the other kind. Thanks.

[Mirza Ghalib]

Tahirul Qadri asks govt to bring ‘change’ by Jan 10

LAHORE: Allama Tahirul Qadri, head of Minhajul Qur’an International (MQI), said the government should improve the current setup by January 10 or else he will lead a march to Islamabad on January 14.

Qadri was addressing a gathering named “Siyasat nahi, Riyasat bachao” at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore.

Criticising those in power, Qadri said in order to save the country, the people of Pakistan must decide if they will let corrupt people represent them.

Referring to the recent investigative report on country’s lawmakers who don’t pay taxes, Qadri said such people should not be allowed to become a part of the parliament.

“How can people who themselves break laws be allowed to sit in the parliament,” he said.

He also said that the parliament formulates laws that are in favour of the lawmakers rather than the people of Pakistan.

Speaking about his political plans, Qadri said his entire agenda is in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan.

He further added that the much-anticipated election should take place but the concerned authorities should ensure it is conducted according to the Constitution.

The leader of MQI had earlier said that he wanted revolutionary changes in political and electoral system of the country.

Qadri had said that he successfully defended the true image of Islam in the West, claiming that now they are convinced the true image of Islam is not that the one adopted by terrorists.

http://www.zemnews.com/2012/12/23/tahir ... -jan-10-2/

[resurrected]

MG,

Honestly speaking, I am not interested neither in the man nor his jalsa as he lacks the credentials necessary for me to get attracted, For me the man is full of contradictions and is nothing more than a opportunist, just seeking wordly gains and path that leads to falsehood rather than to the truth as he so vigorously claims.
I’m not impressed by large gatherings either as long as we remain talking of Pakistanis in general and Lahorites in particular. They are bleesed from above and therefore will come in millions even there was danger of nuclear device exploding over their heads. Tahir did have many claims in past, which were proven false but our people have tiny memory boxes and just few years absence from the focus makes them forget everything completely. The same gentleman got his reward by Nawaz, disappeared to concentrate on religious matters(Grooming period) is now back with his political dreams. God knows alone, who finance such imposters but surely he has some bright future, if not in Pakistan then somewhere else. Personaly I won’t be surprised if he appears by the side of evil prince at some near future date.

[aftab]

Brother MG, any revolution that Tahir ul Qadri brings will be a damp squib, because he is not really the person who will face the problems head on. Imran has done all what he was talking about for the last several years and more specifically over the last 12 months. Also PTI has given us specifics in terms of economics and other areas of importance, but Tahir ul Qadri wants to jump on the same bandwagon as that of the PTI, without the homework. To sum it up he is basically a bad surrogate of Imran Khan. Also this guy is a quitter just like he quit when he was elected to the national assembly.

[Mirza Ghalib]

Great reply, aftabl. Each and every word resonated with me. I'm glad one person at least sees things the way I do. I don't trust the man one little bit. And nothing which has happened so far has made me change my mind about this. And now see what coverage he's getting in the printed media. When was the last time IK got something equally substantial?

[Mirza Ghalib]

Reform system or four million will march on capital, Qadri tells govt

Asim Hussain
Monday, December 24, 2012

LAHORE: Claiming that the present electoral and political system is a sheer violation of the Constitution, Tehrik-e-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri has threatened to lead a protest march on the federal capital if the government fails to begin electoral reforms by January 10, 2013.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting at Minar-e-Pakistan on Sunday, which could be termed one of the biggest rallies at this ground, he warned: “If the job is not done till that time we will throng Islamabad on Jan 14, with a gathering double the size of today’s, and the marchers would decide for themselves how to eliminate the corrupt and dishonest from the system.”

He said the people of the country would not accept unconstitutional elections. Therefore, he said, reforms were inevitable in the electoral system. He further claimed that two million people attended the gathering, and warned the rulers of a march on Islamabad by four million.

Dr Qadri warned that if the authorities concerned fail, “I will convene a people’s parliament in Islamabad on Jan 14 to take decisions in the interest of the people which professional parliamentarians had been refraining from throughout our history.”

He did not specify what kind of changes he wanted in the electoral and political system, but kept shedding light on how the parliamentarians from feudal and capitalist families had been plundering national wealth and depriving the poor of their rights and their livelihoods. He said the entry of looters into parliament would be blocked.

While clarifying certain misgivings about his sudden return from over six years exile to launch a full-fledged movement that appeared to to be an attempt to postpone elections, Dr Qadri declared on oath that his movement was not part of the agenda of any secret agency of any country, and that he would be the first to speak out if the army ever tried to take over the country.

“My ultimatum is for all stakeholders of the present system, including the judiciary, armed forces, politicians, bureaucracy and common man, to sit together and decide necessary changes in the system within the specified time to ensure that all constitutional provisions governing the conduct of free, fair and impartial elections are implemented in letter and spirit.

“All I want is complete implementation of the Constitution, whether it takes more than 90 days to correct the rotten system, which is also allowed by the Constitution under article 254 that says the extra time taken to bring the system in line with the Constitution would not invalidate the move,” he said.

In his two-and-a-half-hour speech, Dr Qadri cited several articles of the Constitution which required honest, righteous and trustworthy people to contest elections that should be free, fair and independent. “But the parliamentarians coming from feudal and capitalist families had been violating the Constitution by loot and plunder, causing irreparable loss to the country and depriving the masses of their rights.”

Dr Qadri quoted articles, 3, 9, 37, 38, 38-2-b, 62, 63, 218, 218-c and 254 etc. elaborating what requirements had been made in them but which had been disregarded by the ruling elite with complete impunity that caused a plethora of evils in the country like corruption, terrorism, drone attacks, nepotism, rigging, unemployment, kidnapping for ransom etc.

“But all those who have been talking of implementing the Constitution had only known just one article of it, which required elections to he held within 90 days,” he said, ridiculing those people who had been rejecting the entire the Constitution with complete disregard but escaped punishment since they were those who made the law.

Dr Qadri’s mega show of power was fully supported by several parties including delegations from the MQM, Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslemeen (MWM) and several other small parties. The former PPP Punjab president Imtiaz Safdar Warraich was also present as was an MQM delegation, led by parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar, and comprising others including former MNA Haider Abbas Rizvi, Raza Haroon, Wassay Jalil and Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan, MWM Punjab general secretary Abdul Khaliq Asadi and Iqbal Kamrani etc were also present on the stage but they did not speak on the occasion.

The TMQ chief said that those who have taken up arms and are indulging in extremism due to some misunderstanding are also the sons of the soil. He invited them to join hands with him if they wanted an end to drone attacks and to rid the country of foreign dominance. Addressing the extremists, he said if they talk of social and legal justice, the Constitution and real Islamic values, he would stand with them. “And if there is the matter of protection of mosques and Imambargahs and people’s lives, you would stand by me,” he added.

Dr Qadri particularly thanked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain for sending a 50-member delegation comprising parliamentarians and workers to attend the historic public meeting in Lahore. He thanked the MQM delegation for backing his party’s cause of ridding the country of the corrupt system. He also thanked Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for sending a delegation to participate in the rally. He also thanked the media for providing complete coverage to the rally proceedings. Dr Qadri expressed his regret over the killing of Awami National Party leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour and offered his condolences to ANP chief Asfandyar Wali and the family members of the deceased.

Talking to the media, all of the visiting political leaders expressed total support to Dr Qadri’s agenda and said they wanted him to succeed in changing the corrupt political system.

Dr Qadri took a promise from the gathering that they must reach Islamabad at all costs if his deadline was not met and there should be no need for him to issue a formal call for Jan 14, 2013. He asked them to sell their houses, assets and other valuables to reach Islamabad if they had to. “This is a noble cause to provide the usurped rights of 180 million people, and not a petty selfish work to realise personal aims,” he exhorted them.

The gathering comprised mostly youth and students of educational institutions affiliated with the TMQ and its subsidiaries, who came from all parts of the country along with their families. A large part of the crowd comprised women who had been holding children and babies, and were chanting slogans.

The crowd exhibited complete discipline during the meeting, but trouble was seen after the culmination of the rally when people began to return to their buses and wagons, parked in the nearby Atiq Stadium and Manto Park. Some incidents of stampede also occurred as people rushed to board their buses.

AFP adds: “Elections without reforms will be meaningless and people will reject the results if they are held under the existing system,” said Qadri. He said Pakistan’s political and economic system had “collapsed”, as it revolved around wealthy, landed aristocrats, and industrialists, and failed to allow honest people to reach parliament.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1 ... tells-govt

[Mirza Ghalib]

Who the heck is Dr Tahirul Qadri? What is TMQ?

Posted on 24 December 2012.

Who is he?

We had never heard of this guy?

Where did he come from?

All of a sudden, from nowhere, Dr Tahirul Qadri drops into Manto Park and holds one of the largest rallies in the history of the Pakistan Minor park.

His website describes him as: “Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is the founding leader of Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International (MQI), an organization with branches and centres in more than 90 countries around the globe, working for the promotion of peace and harmony between communities and the revival of spiritual endeavour based on the true teachings of Islam.”

“Shaykh-ul-Islam was born on February 19, 1951 in the historical city of Jhang, Pakistan, and is the son of the great spiritualist and intellectual of his time ash-Shaykh Dr Farida’d-Din al-Qadri.”

“His formal classical education was initiated in Madina at the age of 12, in Madrasa al-‘Ulum ash-Shar‘iyya, which was situated in the blessed house of Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the first residence of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) after his migration. By the time he had received a First Class Honours Degree from the University of the Punjab in 1970, he had also completed his Classical Islamic Studies, having spent over ten years under the tutelage of his father and other eminent Shuyukh of his time and achieving an unparalleled understanding of the classical shari‘a sciences and Arabic language. He earned his MA in Islamic Studies in 1972 with the University of the Punjab Gold Medal, achieved his LLB in 1974 and began to practise as a lawyer in the district courts of Jhang. He moved to Lahore in 1978 and joined the University of the Punjab as a lecturer in law and then gained his PhD in Islamic Law.”

He talks about this that and the other, and then threatens the government to hold elections within 90 days. He wants the PPP to establish an intermin government almost immediately and so on and so forth.

Dr Qadri’s speech was punched with slogans “Siasat Nahi, Riasat Bachao (save the state, not politics) and “Nizam Badlo” (change the system).

Our question is, who died and left you as God? What is all this about?

“We give you a three-week deadline, up to Jan 14, in this regard. And if you do not accept our genuine demand, millions of people will start marching from Jan 10 towards Islamabad to hold a grand and peaceful protest rally there to press you till the acceptance of their demands for a change in the corrupt governing and electoral system.” Mr Qadri speaking at length at Manto Park (Minar-i-Pakistan) on Sunday.

Only the MQM knows who he is, because they sent a powerful 50-person delegation to his speech.

“And when our own Supreme Court has declared that the governments of Balochistan and Sindh and the federal government have failed to end corruption and maintain law and order they should no more function… “Why we don’t follow this good practice for a change. And what is the harm if we follow this for the sake of bringing reforms in our country.” Mr. Qadri.

“I just ask the Chief Election Commissioner, Chief Justice of Pakistan, political parties and other stakeholders if they are following these constitutional conditions before holding elections,” he said and regretted that except for the article which called for holding elections within 90 days, no other articles were being followed. “Before holding transparent elections, these articles must be followed. Otherwise, elections will not be fair and people will see corrupt politicians again sitting in parliament.” Dr Qadri.

“I am with you if you demand the ending of drone attacks, addressing the law and order situation and ending corruption, killing of innocent people and intervention of external powers in our country’s affairs. But I will not be with you if you carry out terrorism.” Dr. Qadri.

“Look my objective is not to derail democracy in Pakistan. In our country, the poor are becoming poorer and the rich are becoming richer. In order to end this gap as well as corruption, we need a massive restructuring of our state.” Dr. Qadri.

Here is a detailed discussion of his philosophy of governance and the Caliphate!

http://islamicsystem.blogspot.com/2012/ ... lamic.html

His website describes him as:

“Shaykh-ul-Islam founded Minhaj-ul-Qur’an in 1981 and established its headquarters in Lahore. In less than 30 years, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an has expanded and spread over more than 90 countries around the world; and in terms of its comprehensive and all-encompassing sphere of activities, educational, social, cultural and spiritual, Minhaj-ul-Qur’an is probably one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world.”

Dr. Qadri has asked all terrorists to stop the violence. Maybe this is the reason for his “launch”. The BBC in 2010 says “Dr Tahir ul-Qadri, from Pakistan, says his 600-page judgement, known as a fatwa, completely dismantles al-Qaeda’s violent ideology.

The scholar describes al-Qaeda as an “old evil with a new name” that has not been sufficiently challenged.”It cost Rs. 25 corore to hold the rally in Lahore. Is this “Phenomenon” Western sponsored?

http://www.fatwaonterrorism.com/

His speech doesn’t quite follow the schedule of elections in Pakistan and seems to be interfering with the election process, no matter how broken democracy is in Pakistan.

So far so good, but some of his points of view are troubling for many:

His critics decry him because “He tries to please both Sunni and Shias and trys to come up with a third position in between both groups. According to him Khilafat is a political office, and there is also concept of Imamat in Islam. Hazrat Abu Bakar was head of the political office and Hazrat Ali was head of office of Imamate and first Imam.”

Unity among all the Fiqa’s is a good thing, however most Sunnis would recoil at ths opinion –of accepting immamate between a person and his God.

According to his critics, “He is regularly invited by Shias to give lectures at their Imam Baras, especially in Muharram. His close ties to maloon Ghulam Hussain Najfi [head of Shia madrassah in Lahore, Jamiat ul-Muntazir] is also known. This maloon Shia has authored many books, and in one of his book he” made derogatory comments about Hazrat Umer.

These matters do not indict Mr. Qadri, but it does send up some red flags, which we will monitor closely and report to our loyal audience of millions!

http://rupeenews.com/2012/12/who-the-he ... at-is-tmq/

[stingingnettle]

Tahir ul Qadri mixes personal salvation with national and this is why he spells trouble like other mullahs and neo mullahs who think they have cracked the code for national salvation their version of Islam. The fact that minorities are treated like third rate citizens in Pakistan makes our complaints about the plight of muslims in India sound highly hypocritical. Mullahs running political parties and interfering with state business is not only the poison but also the dispenser.

The only way people can be treated equally and fairly is by disregarding their religion and judging them only on merit and service. Let us not created religious apartheid by convincing ourself that belonging to one faith or another equates with some kind of natural entitlement.

[aftab]

I was in favour of doing a dharna and sending this government home, but that opportunity was lost in March-2009, so Dr Tahir ul Qadri has missed that boat! The best thing now is to let the current rulers complete their term and wait for the next government who ever that may be to deliver some form of governance, IA. From what i have read so far into Tahir ul Qadri is that he will not participate in elections, so what is his next move? Honestly, I don't know.

I do have a serious bit of advice for him and something he could really give back to this nation and that is an army of supporters which along with the Media, Civil Society and other volunteers can help in making the elections free and fair. If he did that he would generate a lot of goodwill for him and his organisation, but at the same time still give him an option to do a meaningful dharna, if some of the things he talked about in his Jalsa are not met by the government of the time. However at the moment there are more questions than answers and quite a few theories doing the rounds, which are not doing any favours to the man himself or the organisation he is leading.

[seema]

before i was thinking not to go at Dharrna of Tahir-ul-Qadri, but after the attack on i will defiantly go and will support him