Daily Times

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has warned Tahirul Qadri of possible detention in Pakistan for destabilising Pakistan through terror. Creating an analogy with Pervez Musharraf, the minister said that like the ex-president, the cleric will be hard put to find a way out of the country. In similar sabre-rattling, Tahirul Qadri has promised to not only bring a bloody revolution against the Sharif brothers but to sue Emirates Airlines as well for diverting his plane from Islamabad to Lahore. In another development, Emirates Airlines is planning to lodge a complaint with the Canadian government against Dr Tahir for keeping its plane hostage for more than five hours, bringing inconvenience to the staff and other passengers on board. The airline might also ban Dr Qadri’s travel on it for life. In the midst of this maze of complaints and counter-complaints, the International Civil Aviation Authority is considering taking to task both Dr Qadri and the Pakistan government for dragging Emirates Airlines into a domestic political mess. Already, Cathay Pacific has sworn off Pakistan after the terrorist attack on the Karachi airport earlier this month. As if we did not have enough troubles, more are invited for no other reason than our inability to solve issues amicably or with diplomatic acumen. In its effort to kill a fly with a sledgehammer, the PML-N government has damaged its own credibility.
For the government to keep Qadri in Pakistan, his name has to be put on the Exit Control List, which means we are looking at another possible round of court battles, in which the dual nationality status of Dr Qadri may figure. Why is the government embroiling itself in such issues, especially when the country is passing through one of the most crucial times in its history? Thousands of people are migrating from North Waziristan into different parts of the country; their accommodation is itself a big chore. These people have been in the throes of wars for many years. Now when they need us the most, how could we allow secondary issues like Qadri to distract us? We need to look hard into our options and priorities. The country is not in a position to take more chaos, and certainly not the kind Dr Qadri is trying to trap the government in.
It is just another hot whiff amongst the many the glum political climate of this country has had. For the PML-N, it just has to reign in people like Khawaja Asif and Saad Rafique. Their talkies have served the party with enough troubles with the army; let it not be a replay in the political circle. *