Imran, Qadri bury hatchet after mediation

LONDON: Former-allies-turned bitter critics Imran Khan and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri have announced to join hands once again — nearly two years after the failure of 126-day-long violence-fuelled sit-in protest in the heart of Islamabad – in a fresh attempt to dislodge thegovernment of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

A source close to Dr Qadri has told this scribe that Canada-based Dr Qadri had no intention of joining any protest in which he has nothing to gain but he was urged to get into an alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The source said that a third party provided guarantees that Dr Qadri will not be let down this time and that he should join the protest movement spearheaded by Imran Khan’s party.

The source said that the “third party” played the role of mediator between Dr Qadri and Imran Khan because Dr Qadri kept insisting that he had been promised many things in the past but nothing was delivered.

Dr Qadri has asked his London chapter to make preparations for his arrival in London where a delegation of PTI is likely to meet him and afterwards Dr Qadri will announce his plan to reach Pakistan with his entourage.

When this correspondent reported in this paper on the 10th of October this month that another London Plan was in the making, the PTI, PAT and Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, who was in London in the first week of Muharran to meet Dr Qadri, denied the story and said that reports of another alliance were wrong and there was no such plan in the making. 

A spokesman of Dr Qadri confirmed that the PTI leader, who had attacked Dr Qadri as an egotist only a few days back, called Dr Qadri and invited him to join the 2nd November protest in Islamabad, which is aimed at locking down Islamabad. The spokesman said: “Imran Khan has been trying to contact Dr Qadri for many days now but Dr Qadri sahib was busy. Now they have spoken to each other and it has been agreed that Pakistan Awami Tehreek will join the protest movement against the Nawaz Sharif government. Dr Qadri has yet to decide whether he himself will take part in the protest or not. He will do so after consulting his colleagues.”

When asked if Dr Qadri has forgotten the hurt caused to him by the PTI in the aftermath of the 2014 dharna, the PAT contact said he was not in a position to comment. Dr Qadri has privately, and to some extent publicly, attacked Imran Khan for letting him down during and after the 2014 failed dharna.

The duo, who were part of the London Plan in 2014, fell out publicly and leaders of both parties attacked each other openly in talk shows and rallies. Senior PTI leader Dr Shireen Mazari called Dr Qadri an enemy agent working against the national interests of Pakistan because Dr Qadri left Pakistan around a month ago announcing that he will carry on his own independent movement to “seek justice for the victims of Model Town”.

Shireen Mazari tweeted on 13 September: “Can’t escape this sense that TUQ is Pakistan’s Gulen in so many ways!”Dr Qadri’s party officials had said that they were against the decision of Imran Khan to give tens of millions of rupees in donation to Madrassa Haqqania. Dr Qadri’s party officials said that this donation was a form of bribe to a madrassa supporting extremism and terrorism. Only a few days ago, Imran Khan twice attacked Dr Qadri and accused him of throwing tantrums. He accused that Dr Qadri was behaving as if he had asked him for “rishta”. Imran Khan was speaking in reference to Dr Qadri’s refusal to take part in the Raiwind dharna.Dr Qadri has expressed his bitterness over Imran Khan’s statements that only PAT workers were involved in violent attacks on parliament and the PTV building.