LAHORE: Dr Tahirul Qadri has announced his homecoming “to get the people their basic rights”, demanding the armed forces to man Islamabad airport when he will land there on June 23.

“I’m coming home on June 23 even at the risk of my life for the love of 200 million people, who cannot get their rights under the prevailing system,” he told a press conference on Wednesday through a video link from Canada.

He insisted that his struggle for getting the rights would be constitutional and democratic but Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said Mr Qadri was coming to assault the Constitution and “the government is ready to face him.”

The religious scholar, who immigrated to Canada a few years back, has this time mobilised his political platform, the Pakistan Awami Tehrik. Upon his previous homecoming back in December 2012, he had activated Tehrik Minhajul Quran, his religious outfit. Then he had staged a four-day sit-in in Islamabad that culminated at “Islamabad Long March Declaration” containing some electoral reforms.

Alleging that the incumbent rulers had relations with extremists, he feared that some terror incident could take place on his arrival at Islamabad airport.

Demanding the army to take control of the airport on that day, he showed his no-confidence in their “ability” and “commitment” to provide him security cover.

Naming eight PML-N leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the “public FIR”, he said the rulers had gone upset even before his homecoming.

He said he was informing the judiciary and the armed forces that the rulers would be responsible if anything happened to him, his family and PAT leaders.

Responding to a query about likely grand opposition alliance, he said PML-Q President Shujaat had been given the responsibility during their London meeting for the purpose. Both the leaders had met in London two weeks ago to agree on a 10-point agenda to make Pakistan a welfare state ensuring rights to the people with end to poverty.

Dr Qadri said he himself would coordinate with other opposition parties after reaching Pakistan.

He told a questioner that unlike in the past he would not go abroad and stay in the country.

He hinted at gradual building of an anti-government campaign instead of seeking an immediate result like in the last abortive attempt.

He alleged that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had in his New York meeting with Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in September 2013 had expressed his no-trust in the Pakistan Army.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2014