LONDON:
Leaders of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Muslim League
(PML-Q) have agreed that throwing away the current democratic set-up has
become mandatory for Pakistanis.
Addressing a joint
press conference after meeting for about two hours, Dr Tahirul Qadri,
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi agreed that the current
government had come into being as a result of an “illegal, immoral and
unconstitutional” election, which shall not be accepted.
They
said that the meeting on Friday was the first session while talks will
continue overnight and a final declaration about the formation of an
alliance will be issued on Saturday.
There were widespread
speculations that Imran Khan will join the two parties during their
London talks, but he stayed away from the meeting and none from his
party gave support to the London moot.
Briefing media men,
Dr Qadri said: “We have agreed that the current government and the
current system is against the wishes of 18 crore people of Pakistan;
this system has failed to deliver at all levels.
“The
government that was formed after the 11th May elections is illegal and
unconstitutional. The agenda of the rulers is against the people of
Pakistan, especially the poor classes. They have failed to defend
Pakistan. They are busy in creating a business empire for themselves at
the global level. Their agenda is anti-Pakistan. We want to end this
illegal set-up to replace it with a truly democratic system. We want
transfer of resources to the poor people of Pakistan, which is
guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. We want the Pakistani people
to be part of that system as the current set-up has only a family
running the whole system.”
Pervaiz Elahi thanked Dr Qadri
for agreeing with his party’s stance that the 11th May elections were
rigged massively. He said that his party was in contact with Imran
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for
the formation of a grand alliance. “We have formed committees in
alliance with the PTI and other parties. We have always been in touch
with the MQM.
“We have agreed that the current system
needs to be finished because this government has broken the laws of
Pakistan. The history of the current rulers is known to all, especially
when they had attacked the judiciary. Now, they have attacked Pakistan’s
defence forces. The defence minister of the country has attacked
Pakistan’s armed forces and the prime minister took no action.”
The
former Punjab chief minister said that Nawaz Sharif-led government
deliberately starts tussles with the army. “We understand that the
basics of the current government are wrong. The biggest proof is that
Fakhruddin G Ibrahim resigned and accepted that the current system had
failed.
“We are inviting pro-Pakistan forces on one
platform to unite against the system of corruption. We must get rid of
this government.”
Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain assured Dr
Qadri that when he comes to Pakistan, he will be given a warm welcome by
the masses. He said that his party and the PTI had agreed on the need
for electoral reforms. “There are lots of common grounds between us and
we agree on almost all the points.”
Dr Qadri said that the
two sides were talking to each other to form a united agenda against
corruption, but it was immature to deliberate upon the exact contours of
this agenda at this early stage.Dr Qadri appealed to “all those forces
which want the rule of law to come together to save Pakistan.”
When
asked if the Chauhdry brothers were pursuing a specific agenda to
derail the system, Pervaz Elahi said that there was no conspiracy behind
their meetings. “The only aim is to work together for the betterment of
Pakistan. It’s a call to unite for reforms to make Pakistan a better
country. Our doors are open for all to come together and end corruption
and lawlessness.
