Thousands rally in Pakistani capital
2013-01-14 17:55
Islamabad - Thousands of supporters of a fiery Pakistani
cleric who has been calling for election reforms descended on Monday onto the
capital, as security officials girded for mass rallies by a movement that has
virtually overnight become a powerful but still mysterious force on the
political scene.
The dramatic entry into Pakistani politics of
Tahir-ul-Qadri, a preacher who until recently lived abroad in Canada and had
only a modest local following, has galvanised supporters looking for reforms
but worried detractors who fear he'll derail upcoming elections.
Also on Monday, thousands of Shi’ites finally ended a
three-day long protest in the southwestern city of Quetta in which they
demanded better security following an attack that killed 86 people. They had
blocked a main road with dozens of the victims' coffins, and finally agreed to
bury their relatives after Pakistan's leaders dismissed the government of
surrounding Baluchistan province.
The national government is also worried about security in
Islamabad in advance of Qadri's protest. Thousands of police have been deployed
in the city, and officers in riot gear are manning the main roads and streets.
Authorities used shipping containers to block off the
part of Islamabad where most government offices and embassies are located.
About 15 000 of Qadri's supporters left on Sunday in
hundreds of vehicles from the eastern city of Lahore, where the headquarters of
his Minhaj-ul-Quran organisation are located.
They are expected to arrive in Islamabad later on Monday,
as more supporters join the rally along the way.
Television footage showed the marchers crowded into buses
and vehicles with Pakistani flags flying as they made their way toward the
capital.
Thousands rally
Even before Qadri arrived in the capital, thousands
rallied on the main avenue running through Islamabad that leads to the
government headquarters.
Members of the march set up a make-shift stage on top of
one of the shipping containers that were supposed to block their way.
Male protesters gathered on one side of the avenue while
women and children were on the other, divided by a grass median.
Many of the protesters waved Pakistani flags or photos of
Qadri, while songs on religious themes or in praise of Qadri blared through a
loudspeaker.
The crowd appeared to be a mix of longtime Qadri
followers and new supporters who had been inspired by his anti-government message.
"He feels pain for the people while the government
feels no pain for the people," said Faizan Baig from the northern city of
Abbottabad.
The 23-year-old
said he had come to Islamabad the night before and slept in a shrine on the
outskirts of the city.
Ineffective government
Qadri's rhetoric has invigorated many Pakistanis like
Baig who are angry at the current administration whose five years in office
ends this spring.
They say the current government has succeeded in bringing
little but electricity blackouts, unemployment, terror attacks and corruption.
Qadri returned to Pakistan in December after living for
years in Canada, where he's also a citizen. He heads a religious network in
Lahore and gained some international prominence by writing a 2010 fatwa, or
religious opinion, condemning terrorism.
But he was never a national political figure until this
winter, when his calls for reforms ahead of elections galvanised many
Pakistanis disenchanted by the existing parties. The cleric's vaguely worded
demands include vetting of political candidates to make sure they're honest and
taking steps to even out the political playing field so more people can
participate in the political process.
But some of Qadri's comments have worried observers who
fear the cleric is a front for the military to disrupt the democratic process
just as it prepares for a historic transfer of power from one civilian
government to another.
He has called for a role in the military in picking of
the caretaker government. Under Pakistan's constitution, once the current
government names an election date, a caretaker government takes over as a way
to ensure impartiality in the election process, usually for a period of 60 to
90 days.
Qadri has said he does not want to delay the elections
but also says if the caretaker government needs more than 90 days to ensure
reforms, then that's not against the constitution.
Those comments, as well as questions about where his
funding is coming from, have sparked fears Qadri is really trying to derail the
upcoming vote on behalf of the Pakistani military, which is believed to dislike
both the main political parties vying for power, and pave the way for a
military-backed caretaker to hold power indefinitely. Qadri has denied any such
involvement.
Bomb blasts
The protest that ended on Monday in Quetta was launched
in the wake of a twin bombing at a billiards hall on Thursday that targeted
members of the minority Shi’ite sect. The demonstrators demanded the provincial
government be dismissed and the army take over responsibility for the city.
Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said in a
televised address shortly after midnight on Sunday that the governor, who is
appointed by the central government, would take over in Baluchistan, replacing
the chief minister elected by the provincial assembly.
Also, paramilitary forces will receive police powers and
launch an operation against militants behind the billiards hall attack.
Abdul Qayum Changezi, one of the organisers of the
protest, said they were ending the demonstration because most of their demands
were met. The bodies were being shifted to a graveyard for burial, he said.
Last year was the deadliest ever for Shi’ites in
Pakistan, with over 400 dead in targeted killings by radical Sunni Muslims who
consider them heretics. Violence has been especially intense in Baluchistan,
home of the largest number of Shiites in the country.
- AP
