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             Tahirul Qadri Returns to Pakistan to Oppose Government

   by Ayaz Gul

   This week a prominent cleric-turned-politician returned to Pakistan,
   vowing to organize anti-government protests. Canada-based Tahirul Qadri
   has pledged a "peaceful revolution against a corrupt democracy." But
   the sudden homecoming has fueled speculation that Pakistan's powerful
   military may be using him as a proxy in efforts to sideline the
   political government.

   Widely known as a pro-army cleric, Tahirul Qadri's Pakistan Awami
   Tehreek is one of the country's most organized political parties. Its
   base of support is rooted in Qadri's large following from the vast
   network of mosques and religious centers he set up across Pakistan.

   Last year, he led mass rallies against Pakistan's previous government.
   Now he has returned to lead what his spokesman has called an "Arab
   spring" style revolt and bring a new government to power that can
   improve accountability and push through reforms.

   Qadri's ability to quickly organize mass rallies and openly denounce
   the civilian government has long been seen as evidence that he is
   backed by the army as a way of sidelining civilian leaders.

   "Do you think that Tahir ul Qadri would be able to make the kinds of
   statements that he is making and these are the kinds of activities that
   he is doing in Canada where he is a dual national? Do you think they
   will put up with this?" asked Daniyal Aziz, a lawmaker in the ruling
   party, rhetorically.

   On Monday, Qadri was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on an Emirates
   flight from Dubai, but authorities diverted the plane with nearly 300
   passengers to Lahore, citing security concerns.

   The move outraged thousands of his supporters waiting outside the
   airport in the capital, leading to violent clashes with police. It also
   triggered protests elsewhere in the country.

   After several hours on the tarmac, Qadri eventually agreed to deplane
   but vowed to lead nationwide anti-government rallies to avenge the
   deaths of around a dozen supporters killed a week ago when Lahore
   police opened fire on a crowd outside Qadri's residence.

   That crackdown promoted severe criticism of the Nawaz Sharif
   government. Monday's plane incident has intensified it.

   Raza Rumi, a television anchor and editor, said the overreaction by the
   government stems from the troubled democratic history of Pakistan,
   where the military has seized power through repeated coups.

   "Pakistan's history has been that when there is a confrontation like
   this, the civil-military relationship is going down then the military
   sort of reacts or comes back with a kind of political engineering that
   attacks the incumbent government, weakens it and creates an environment
   in public opinion where the population the electorate is ready for a
   political change," said Rumi.

   Widely dubbed as "self-styled revolutionary," last year Qadri briefly
   returned to Pakistan to lead a similar protest against the previous
   government. Thousands of his supporters staged a three-day sit-in
   demonstration in the heart of Islamabad that dispersed peacefully.
   However, this time he has vowed not to leave Pakistan until he
   accomplishes his mission.

   "God willing", he said, "it will be a movement of revolution and this
   peaceful war will be fought until miseries of the poor are ended,
   oppressions against the innocent are avenged and corruption is
   eliminated."

   There is growing public concern over the country's ongoing battle
   against Taliban militants. But ruling party lawmaker Aziz links Qadri's
   sudden return to Pakistan to the ongoing treason trial of former
   military president Pervez Musharraf.

   "For the first time in Pakistan that two things are happening at the
   same time that democracy has shifted through a peaceful election from
   one party to another and now after many years of these kinds of
   episodes are taking place, there is also a treason trial underway. The
   [army] establishment has not minced its words on its feelings regarding
   the trial that's ongoing," said Aziz.

   Opposition lawmaker Umar disagrees, saying ruling party members are
   raising concerns over military interference in politics to distract the
   public from the failings of their own long-promised political and
   economic reforms.

   "If it (army interference) is genuinely being done it is a major, major
   issue. Literally there is nothing can be bigger than that - come to the
   parliament, go to the courts, use the constitution means available to
   you. You cannot run a slanderous media campaign against the important
   state institutions. That's just not the right way of running the
   country democratically," said Umar.

   Discontent with the Sharif government has grown in recent months
   because of nationwide power shortages that have crippled economic
   activities in Pakistan.

   Moreover, critics say that a lack of clarity on how to tackle a deadly
   Islamist insurgency at home and reported differences with the military
   in terms of dealing with neighboring Afghanistan and India are primary
   sources of civil-military tensions.

   Observers are unsure whether Qadri's homecoming is meant to fuel these
   tensions and whether other opposition political parties would want to
   join a man accused of promoting "undemocratic" forces to take charge of
   the national affairs.
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   oppose-government/1943552.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/tahirul-qadri-returns-to-pakistan-to-oppose-government/1943552.html