Qadri Dr Farrukh Saleem The real adrenalin in Qadri’s political veins is the Model Town Massacre. Qadri’s real political pump came from Gullu Butt. Imagine: where would Qadri be without the massacre? Imagine: where would Qadri be without Gullu Butt? First the scholar. Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahirul Qadri is an Islamic law scholar par excellence – Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh and Islamic philosophy, four in one. He is the only Islamic law scholar on the face of the planet to have published a comprehensive Islamic decree derived right out of the Quran and Sunnah according to which “terrorism and suicide bombings are unjust and evil, and thus un-Islamic.” In 1980, Dr Qadri founded Minhajul Quran International (MQI). Over the past 34 years, MQI has stood for non-violence, moderation, research, tolerance and inter-faith harmony. MQI has since expanded to some eight dozen countries with “educational and community centres in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, Australia and Africa.” In 1986, Dr Qadri founded the Minhaj International University (Affiliation: Al Azhar University). Minhaj Education Society (MES) runs more than 600 schools and colleges across Pakistan. Minhaj Welfare Foundation (MWF) is an international charity organisation and is registered with the UK Charity Commission. Now the politician. Politician Tahirul Qadri is a bubble – one substance in another, gas in liquid, soapy water with enclosed air, gas trapped in glass or air mixed into agitated water. Remember, depending on the thickness of the film of soapy water “different colours interfere constructively and destructively.” Qadri wants to turn the current system upside-down. Qadri is bent upon throwing away the whole system, lock, stock and barrel. He is a mere nuisance if the guns are not with him. He can be a serious threat if the guns are with him. He wants to bring the system down while the guns want to cut Nawaz to size. Qadri and the guns – there could potentially be some mutuality of interest. Qadri and the guns – there could be some orbital overlap. Qadri and the guns – they could indeed be using each other (Qadri can also be used to drum up support for Zarb-e-Azb while the ruling politicians are pursuing priorities other than war). Qadri can be delusional. The Nawaz-Shahbaz duo is paranoid. And a power-play between delusion and paranoia means extreme political volatility. Qadri is laying traps for Nawaz to make mistakes – nay blunders. Shahbaz has already blundered. Will Shahbaz’s blunder over time become the tipping point? Qadri is loading up the camel with straws. Nawaz ought to stop taking on additional straws before the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Nawaz Sharif has legitimate political authority to rule (190 MNAs). Nawaz Sharif has legitimate constitutional authority to rule. Nawaz Sharif had moral authority to rule – that is prior to the unprecedented episode of state terrorism, the Model Town Massacre. Qadri does not have legitimate political authority. Qadri has no legitimate constitutional authority. Qadri, however, now has the upper moral hand (courtesy the Model Town Massacre and Gullu Butt). To be certain, Qadri is now a political problem and thus cannot be handled administratively for too long. Back to the real battlefield, Pak Army is the only one fighting the war. Pak Army will win the ground war but we will lose half a million IDP hearts and minds. Pak Army is laying down lives while politicians are busy playing their deadly, zero-sum games – and the judiciary is busy acquitting terrorists by the truckloads. Who said, “Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre but they are more deadly in the long run?”
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 08:08:19 +0000
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