Qadri says only army can make him change his plans

LONDON: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has expressed fears that his plane may be diverted from landing in Islamabad because “the government for unknown reasons is terrified of my presence in Pakistan and wants to go to any length to stop me from being within my people”.
He was addressing a press conference here after arriving from Canada Saturday morning. He will leave for Islamabad from Heathrow Airport today (Sunday) via Dubai.
Dr Qadri said the government had planned to create hurdles in his way and can use violence against him but he said the “voice of truth” cannot be suppressed.
He said the government should not stop him because he was a Pakistani by birth and “is more Pakistani than the current rulers”.
He alleged that the government was trying to create misunderstanding between the armed forces and him but he will foil such attempts.
“If the army comes in front of me then I will deal with them as I respect them but the rulers have no right to stop me.
They have no right to question me or stop me because I don’t accept their legitimacy. I will put up resistance if the government tries to stop me.”
He said he could re-consider his plans only if the Government of Pakistan asked him to do so. As for the civilian government, Qadri said he will not negotiate with them at any level because “I don’t consider their legitimacy at all as they have come into power through corrupt means”.
When asked by The News if his activities in Pakistan will create diversion for the armed forces that were fighting against terrorists, Dr Qadri said Pakistan was a nuclear armed state and had the capacity and capability to deal with wars and emergency situations.
“I am going to Pakistan to provide moral support to the army; I have always provided them with ideological and theological support. My presence in Pakistan will only strengthen the operation against terrorists. It threatens only those who have historically supported the armed sectarian terrorists groups through funding and support. They have supported the terror groups all over Pakistan to create anarchy in Pakistan. I have always advocated moderation and democracy and my track record is testimony of that. If I had not controlled my workers after the death of my workers in Lahore, there could have been chaos in the country but I prevailed over their emotions and asked them not to take law into their own hands.”
Intelligence agencies say Qadri’s scheduled road travel from Islamabad to Lahore is unsafe, suggesting that he faces security dangers upon arrival. Intelligence reports say Qadri could face severe security dangers upon arrival in Pakistan but he said he faced the biggest threat from the PML-N government. He said he will announce his next step after arriving in Islamabad. He however warned that if he was stopped then there will be resistance and the responsibility for any ugly situation will lie with the government.
“I will not fight Pakistan’s army but efforts are being made to create a misunderstanding between me and the army but I will not let this plan succeed.”
Dr Qadri claimed that he was the soft face of Islam and was the first one to rise against Islamist extremists. He repeated his call for the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and said Rana Sanaullah was made the whipping boy to save the skin of the chief minister and senior police officers.