Cleric leads thousands in march to Islamabad
15 Jan 2013 5:45 AM IST
Tens of thousands of protesters led by fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri on Monday inched towards Islamabad demanding sweeping electoral reforms, as authorities put up barricades and deployed riot police turning the Pakistani capital into a virtual fortress.
Qadri, who began his ‘long march’ in Lahore yesterday, was moving towards Islamabad with around 30,000 to 50,000 supporters, witnesses in Punjab province said. The figure was far short of Qadri’s claim that millions would join his protest.
The cleric, who heads the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran, returned to Pakistan last month after living in Canada for the past seven years.
Political parties have accused Qadri of acting as a front for the military and security establishment to delay this year’s general election so that the term of an interim administration can be prolonged.
The cleric has shaken up political circles by demanding key electoral reforms, including the dissolution of the Election Commission and installation of a caretaker government after consultations with all political parties, army and judiciary.
Witnesses said Qadri’s convoy, which was currently making its way through Punjab province at a very slow pace, consisted of over 200 vehicles, including trucks and buses.
Scores of women and children were among the protesters. Hundreds of Qadri’s supporters gathered at Constitution Avenue in the heart of Islamabad, where the march is expected to end.
Qadri, who began his ‘long march’ in Lahore yesterday, was moving towards Islamabad with around 30,000 to 50,000 supporters, witnesses in Punjab province said. The figure was far short of Qadri’s claim that millions would join his protest.
The cleric, who heads the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran, returned to Pakistan last month after living in Canada for the past seven years.
Political parties have accused Qadri of acting as a front for the military and security establishment to delay this year’s general election so that the term of an interim administration can be prolonged.
The cleric has shaken up political circles by demanding key electoral reforms, including the dissolution of the Election Commission and installation of a caretaker government after consultations with all political parties, army and judiciary.
Witnesses said Qadri’s convoy, which was currently making its way through Punjab province at a very slow pace, consisted of over 200 vehicles, including trucks and buses.
Scores of women and children were among the protesters. Hundreds of Qadri’s supporters gathered at Constitution Avenue in the heart of Islamabad, where the march is expected to end.
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