KARACHI: Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri alleged on Tuesday that corruption of the rulers had turned all state institutions, such as police, Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue and State Bank, into the government’s political arms and parliament had also failed to protect the rights of the people.

Talking to reporters before flying to Lahore after his two-day stay here, he said he saw no solution to the present imbroglio in the near future because the nation was not prepared to take to the streets to get back its usurped rights from the rulers.

Referring to the sense of insecurity among the people in Karachi, he said the situation was no different in other parts of the country.

Terming the state of affairs a failure of the Constitution and the government which should have guaranteed the security of life and property of the people, the PAT chief said that in the name of democracy, it was only the privileged class which now framed laws and ran national institutions.

The people had no say in any such matter and they were deprived of their basic rights, he said.

Referring to the militant Islamic State group making inroads into the country, Mr Qadri said the National Action Plan had been prepared to fight acts of terrorism by the Taliban, Al Qaeda and such terrorist organisations and “our army played its role but the political leadership failed to discharge its responsibility and that paved the way for the entry into the country” of IS.

He said the challenge of terrorism from IS and other terrorist groups could only be overcome through joint efforts of the army and the government and it was only possible when they both were on the same page on this crucial issue.

Dr Qadri said that according to his information a few activists of IS had been arrested in Sialkot.

He criticised recent actions by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority against some private TV channels and expressed solidarity with the workers and journalists of the organisations.

The PAT chief said he had not been in favour of taking the Panama Papers case to the courts because the institution was not punishing those in power in any case.

Referring to a law on forced conversion of religion recently adopted by the Sindh Assembly, the PAT chief said it was incomprehensible as to what had caused the provincial government to make legislation on such an issue.

He said although he had not gone through the law, it was controversial and the Sindh government should have referred it to the Council of Islamic Ideology.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2016