Theatricality and deception they say are powerful tools to be used against the uninitiated, when these two are fused together they can amalgamate to form a weapon so lethal that it can easily put the masses on a path which can lead to nothing but anarchy and mayhem. Tahir-ul-Qadri the Pseudo Patriotic Canadian Pakistani is a man who has perfected these traits. Through his empty rhetoric, baseless fiery speeches and hollow promises Qadri has risen to the status of a ‘Demigod sent from the Heavens to save the nation’ amongst his simple minded illiterate following.
Who is Qadri and why does he want a revolution? The answer to the latter question has an easy explanation. PAT’s supporters are die hard believers of Tahir’s philosophy and teachings but here’s the catch, they are very few in number a very optimistic estimate would about 1000-2000 supporters in each constituency (primarily in Punjab) made up of 100s of thousands and a vast mojority of said supporters are employees of Minhaj-ul-Quran who only want to keep their jobs. Qadri is well aware of this situation he knows that in an election, no matter how free and fair they may be his party will indefinitely loose by a landslide, this is the reason why he opposes elections and wants to ‘change the system’. As for who he is:
‘I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.’ Oath sworn by anyone who attains a Canadian Citizenship, simply put TuQ is a Canadian tourist on vacation coming the exotic East for some adventure.
Every now and then this so called Deliverer of Justice likes to drop in on Pakistan to get away from the boring weather in Canada. We all remember the ‘Container band Inqilab’ fiasco last year, now suddenly out of the blue he’s back again with the intent to bring about a so called Awami Inqilab. Revolution, inqilab, rebellion, uprising all these words have a certain alluring ring to them; but be aware that embracing them comes at a cost, a heavy toll paid in blood. Libya and Syria are some countries who yearned for revolution, look where their aspirations got them? More than a 100,000 have died in Syria, Libya is again on the brink of another civil war, a giant tinder box waiting to explode. Do we want that in Pakistan too?
With the likes of Qadri spewing all sorts of hatred this doesn’t seem like a very implausible future. Recently he has been inciting people to rise up and revolt against the oppressors. He has ordered his Mureeds(Supporters) to drag the Police(like it’s their fault) out if their homes and beat them, he has ordered his ‘supporters’ to take the law into their own hands. Unfortunately his rhetoric is effective, 300+ Policemen have been injured and 2 have been murdered by thugs armed with weapons such as canes with nails at their ends and knives. Although he compares Nawaz and Shahbaz to Hitler and Mussolini, Qadri is the one who resembles most to The Fuhrer. Hitler like Qadri was an excellent orator. He, just like Tahir-ul-Qadri knew how to twist words in a way that it would inspire a spirit of devotion amongst the masses which thought Hitler would lead them to eternal glory, we all know what happened next. How does this Canadian justify all this madness?
According to him all this is because of the Lahore Incident or as he likes to call it the ‘Lahore Massacre’. Police brutality is condemnable at all levels, but why did the Police attack TuQs workers? This is a question very few ever asked yet is of prime importance. Here are the facts, in the most unbiased way possible; Qadris supporters put illegal roadblocks on the roads around his house in Lahore, the local residents complain to the police that the barricades are causing them inconvenience and hence should be removed, the Punjab Police acting on the complaint comes to remove said obstructions, Qadris supporters being the mindless creatures they are refuse and resort to violence which leads to clash between the two factions which results in the deaths of PAT’s workers. Now there’s no doubt that there were more subtle ways to handle the situation, one without bloodshed and deploying ‘assets’ like Gullu Butt but one should keep in mind that it was Qadri’s men how disobeyed first.
I’m no fan of the incompetent Nawaz Government but the road to revolution laid down by Pakistan Awami Tehreek is not the on the which should be followed, this peculiar road to revolution is grim, bloody and completely obscene especially when Operation Zarb-e-Azam is in full swing and the infamous ‘blowback’ from the terrorists is imminent. Qadri’s methods will lead to bloodshed and nothing more, how can he not see what is clear as day? Maybe he does? Maybe he knows that if things go awry all he has to do is buy a ticket home?
