ISLAMABAD, May 10: Zakir Shah, 45, an electrician by profession, will wake up early in the morning on the Election Day (today) and will depart from his house at 7:30am.

This is not because he wants to cast his vote early in the morning; he has decided to reach Aabpara Chowk to participate in a sit-in of Tehreek-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran (TMQ) against the election process.

“I don’t think the corrupt political system can be changed through elections. After the vote has been cast, we will see the same faces that have been ruling us for decades claiming they are necessary for democracy.

Rather than casting my vote, I will participate in the sit-in from 8am to 5pm because I believe only Dr Tahir ul Qadri can bring change, but unfortunately he is not participating in the elections,” Zakir Shah said.

Zakir is not the only person who has been disappointed with the political system.

While a large number of residents of Islamabad will be standing in queues to cast their votes, a few thousand would be participating in a sit-in to be held on the double road from Aabpara Chowk to the Red Mosque.

A member of TMQ, Mustafa Hussain, said change cannot be brought through the polling system.

“We have to give power to those who are suitable to run the country according to the true sprit of Islam,” he said.

“By casting our votes, we will only authenticate the process and nothing will change. By not becoming part of the process, we can record our protest and the elections would be deemed controversial if there is a low turnout,” he said.

Media coordinator of TMQ, Ghulam Ali, while talking to Dawn said arrangements for the sit-in had been completed.

“We have done arrangements for over 20,000 protesters. They will get lunch, tea and water at the spot,” he said, adding that tents would be fixed on both roads to protect participants from heat or rain. They would pray on the road or the in nearby mosques, he said.

“The district administration has already given us the permission to arrange a peaceful sit-in. We will sit there peacefully, and will not create any hurdle in the way of those who want to cast their vote. We will not even go near the polling stations,” Ghulam Ali said.

He said TMQ Chief Dr Tahir ul Qadri would address the participants of the sit-in at the Assembly Hall, Lahore at 2pm.

His speech would be telecasted live for the sit-in near Aabpara Chowk.

Arrangements had been made to show the speech of the TMQ Chief in every sit-in in several districts all over Pakistan, he said.

He said there would be a very low turnover in the general elections because most of the people were not interested in the elections.

“During public meetings, political parties force people to come out. These people will not cast their vote,” he claimed.