Elections without electoral reforms will perpetuate corruption: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

PAT leader Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that if the elections are held without electoral reforms, it will be back to square one as the whole struggle against rigging and corrupt system will come to naught. He said that election is a fair game involving millions of rupees and a profitable business for select families. He said that if those having lawful means of income take part in elections, they end up getting their surety bonds forfeited whereas the corrupt lot cracks jokes on them. He said that in order to cleanse the whole system, enforcement of Articles 62 & 63 at every level is mandatory.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while talking to the members of the Central Core Committee the other day. He asked NAB to ensure presence of the accused of the Panama Papers case instead of wasting their energies on getting an audience with the JIT members. He said that the Sharif family has refused to appear before NAB, asking if a common can dare entertain such a thought. It is a test case for the institutions, for on the one hand is mafia and the Constitution and law on the other. He said that if the NAB carries out fair and transparent investigation, many more secrets will be unveiled and the mafia will not be able to show its face to anyone.

Dr Qadri reminded that his party organized history’s largest gathering under the shadow of the Minar-e-Pakistan in order to press the demand of implementation of Articles 62 & 63 on December 23, 2012. He said that he spoke of the importance of the Articles in his address and educated the nation about relevance and significance of these Articles. He then led a long march to Islamabad and staged a sit-in there against the corrupt electoral practices and held many conferences. The PAT then organized public meetings in 60 cities of the country against the illegally constituted Election Commission and in favor of electoral reforms. He said that it was by invoking these Articles that expect honesty and trust worthiness from the public officials that the most dishonest person has been sent home, adding that it was possible as a result of the PAT struggle for five years.

The PAT Chairman said that those who did not let the Election Reforms Bill be tabled in Parliament after more than 100 parleys in over two years will not let it happen again in future as well. Terming the present accountability as the beginning, he demanded that all big and small fish should be asked to present money trail of their phenomenal wealth and the constitutional concept of honesty and trust worthiness should be enforced in every walk of life.

Dr Qadri said that we want such a system of democracy in which no one is able to perpetrate Model Town-like incidents in order to strengthen its power and then had the gall to kill justice. He said that the purpose of public meeting on The Mall on Aug 16 was to draw the attention of the judiciary to the basic demand of families of martyrs. He said that we will quicken our struggle at every level for justice.