Roots of militancy lie in politics of patronage: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

PAT Chairman Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that the terrorists could not break the resolve of our children but the increasing incidents of kidnapping due to traditional insensitivity of rulers and the incompetence of police has terrified our children and made the parents anxious. He said that had the National Action Plan been implemented in letter and spirit, the criminals would not have been at large.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri made these remarks while talking to the delegation of PAT Lahore that called on him at his residence. The delegates included Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, Ch. Afzal Gujjar, Hafiz Ghulam Farid, Ishtiaq Hanif Mughal, Sanaullah Khan, Haji Farrukh, Zohaib Farooq, Hassan Murtaza and Hassan Qadri.

Briefing the PAT chief about preparation of the protest movement starting from August 6, the Lahore chapter leaders said that the workers would stage a demonstration from Martyrs’ Mosque to the Punjab Assembly and do a sit-in there. They told that the door-to-door campaign has been started to make the Qisas movement a success.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and the ministers have the time to work out a strategy to deal with the PAT protest but no time to consider taking action to stop increasing incidents of kidnaping of children. He said that summer camps wear deserted look and the recreational spots are empty due to the incidents of kidnappings. He said that peace has returned to FATA as a result of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb but the problem of militancy remains rooted in Punjab. He said that there is a need of the Rangers’ operation not only in Karachi and Sindh but in Punjab as well.

The PAT Chairman said that different policing experiments such as Mohafiz, Mujahid, and Elite Forces failed to accomplish their objective and in the same way, the fancy Dolphin force also seems unequal to the task of maintaining law and order. He said that the roots of crimes lie in politics of patronage and unless the same is uprooted and the system supporting the criminals is eliminated, crime will continue to flourish. He said that the rulers who have failed to give a sense of protection to new generation, jobs to the youth and justice to the people, expecting of them to find a solution to energy problem, Kashmir issue, economic stalemate, and internal and external security woes may be too much to ask for.