Mohammad Zaman, Senior citizen from Bahawalnagar

“On the directions of Tahirul Qadri, we will stay here till the last moment. We are ready to give every kind of sacrifice for the revolution. Under the current political system, rulers remain busy in boosting their businesses while the poor people are dying of hunger. There is no equality, no justice, no job opportunities, no life security, no electricity and no gas for the citizens. So, we are here to change this system and form a new government.”

Shumaila Fazal, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers have full confidence in their leader Tahirul Qadri’s ‘revolutionary’ march and believed that the party will bring a change in the current political system.The workers say that they came to Islamabad to overthrow the Nawaz Sharif-led government and will not go back before the accomplishment of the ‘mission.’

“I along my family have full faith in Qadri’s ideology. After being impressed by his speeches, we joined PAT a few years ago. We are fighting for our rights. I’m fully confident that after overthrowing the government we will install a new national government. Before the official announcement of the ‘Inqilab’, we will not leave Islamabad. Every ‘Inqilab’ demands blood and sacrifice. Our 14 fellows scarified their lives in Model Town Lahore for the revolution. I hope their sacrifices will not go to waste.”

Mohammad Waqas, Student from Rawalpindi

“Our aim is very clear. We can’t accept Nawaz Sharif’s government anymore. They have killed our 14 people in Lahore and also failed to deliver. We are here just to overthrow the government. I know our leader has a clear vision to give prosperity to the country. We are struggling for a new national government which will give equal rights to all the citizens. We are also raising our voice for bringing reforms in the electoral system.”

Misba Irfan, Student of Punjab University

“Bad governance, inflation and worsening security situation in the country have compelled me to join PAT. ‘Inqilab’ is very near. Soon we will be celebrating our victory. We want the immediate dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies and the formation of a new national government. If you are talking about hardships being faced by us, no doubt, we are facing some problems here, but for a greater cause you have to ignore minor issues. We will stay here till the revolution.”

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2014