Daily Times

On January 17, 2013, a spectacle
of sorcery, deceit and Machiavellian political manipulation dramatically came to an end before the Parliament House in Islamabad. In that comedy of the abject and the absurd, centre-stage was held by one man, Allama Tahirul Qadri. The country, its capital and its hapless people were held hostage to the whims and tantrums of a religious snob. Everybody held his breath as the ‘high priest’ foamed at the mouth and thundered through the microphones for hours from his bulletproof, comfortable bunker trailer, down to his bound, freezing and miserable audience squatting on the Jinnah Avenue. His fulminating speeches were dutifully carried by our viewer-thirsty TV channels into our family rooms, hotels, shops and offices. He seemed to hold all the cards albeit viciously, and loomed over the horizon like a fire-breathing dragon. Despite a grand stage, spellbinding dramatics and perfect playacting, there was something amiss, something which did not make sense. What that was, we will see in a moment as we proceed to examine the unfolding events and try to discover the grand scheme of things.

Behind Dr Qadri’s whole madness was great method. The clever Allama’s strategy was multilayered and multi-faceted, which was very intelligently conceived and dexterously implemented. It began to unfold on December 23, 2012 at the Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, culminating nearly three weeks later at Islamabad, and had seven main planks. For popular appeal he picked up those causes that had made lives of the masses difficult, such as the chronic shortages of gas and electricity, horrible inflation, endemic lawlessness, poor healthcare and education and so on. He kept the army and judiciary in good humour, as he knew the former had the coercive power to wreck his show and the latter could throw the book at him. He went on to touch their raw nerves by sounding and supporting their deep concerns such as the army being thanklessly ridiculed and the judiciary’s decisions contemptuously flouted by the state machinery. He played to the foreign press by emphasising his belief in human rights, democracy and dislike for terrorism. He made politicians feel safe by vowing to stay within the constitution, the system and for elections in time. He made no demand to uproot or replace the current political order with another like the Khilafat and such others. He isolated and targeted the ruling coalition at the Centre for their trademark incompetence and limitless corruption, and kept the opposition parties at bay by carefully orchestrating his manoeuvres.

Dr Qadri launched a terrific media campaign first in Canada/USA, then in the UK, and followed by Pakistan. It was clear, precise and effectively played on popular fears. Finally and most significantly, he worked on indoctrination of his followers and the organisation of the march to Islamabad in complete secrecy for possibly a year or more. The entire political spectrum and state apparatus were apparently caught unaware when the Qadri storm broke. Not even the fabrication of his allegedly Rs 35-million bunker-trailer aroused any suspicion, which is quite amazing while the projected occupant was still in Canada.

Dr Qadri’s selection of timing and means was masterly and the ability to conceal real objectives commendable. From December 23, 2012 to January 17, 2013, he executed a perfect political operation from a non-political platform, leading his men to believe in his apparently selfless and patriotic motivation. He chose Lahore to kick off his march knowing very well that it was Punjab that mattered in Pakistan, the distance to Islamabad was manageable and that the leadership in Lahore would tacitly approve his invasive plan. The instant and continuous media publicity his march would attract while passing through Pakistan’s heartland was another major consideration. His rallying and retention of marchers could be a lesson in agitation planning. He used all the ruses in the book and invented some of his own. The use of the Minhaj-ul-Quran (MuQ) platform bound his followers and kept them tied for fear of ‘holy retribution’, which he reinforced by asking them to take a public oath of loyalty on the Quran and likening himself to Hazrat Imam Hussain with emotionally loaded, tearful speeches. He knew very well that none of those present at the Jinnah Avenue could possibly withstand such an emotional double pincer that invoked visions of betrayal and his ‘lone martyrdom’ — Jesus and Hazrat Imam Hussain in one. He had accurately assessed the vulnerability of the sitting administration over the issue of the next elections and the rising ensuing suspicions, thus the timing a few weeks before the end of their term.

The use of the MuQ platform was a stroke of political genius, which probably very few noticed in the heat of the events. He had his Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) stage available but decided against it for three apparent reasons. One, he was known more for the MuQ than by the obscure PAT. Second, the MuQ had an extensive network countrywide, as also in about 90 countries as claimed, which could mobilise large numbers of people. Last but most importantly, the MuQ platform ensured success even when it failed. This is simply because for Muslims an entity promoting the Quran cannot be imagined to have failed. That is why Dr Qadri returned from Islamabad with his position as the head of the MuQ intact, albeit having failed to achieve any of his ever-changing long list of political demands. Had he used the PAT, people would readily be writing its obituaries for an inglorious demise. It does not matter to people of his ilk if religion was exploited for personal ends, and we are inflicted with plenty of such undiscriminating men.

Dr Qadri’s tactics were a mix of religious and political intimidation, which found an obliging response from an already beleaguered government and a fractured opposition. The top leadership promptly decamped and the opposition was driven by a different motivation to huddle in panic. After planting himself in the heart of Islamabad, a precarious kilometre from the seat of the federal government and the Diplomatic Enclave, he adopted a brazen technique of issuing timelines on whatever he thought worthy of his attention, extending from a few minutes to a few hours. It was quite comical the way he reacted to a temporary break in electric supply to his vaunted trailer and to the news that TV cables had been unplugged. There was a deliberate attempt by him to obfuscate by unilaterally declaring the entire national executive as defunct and simultaneously ordering them to negotiate with him in his trailer command post.

Dr Qadri’s most famous timeline came on January 17 when he announced 3:00 pm that day as the decisive moment for an undeclared but ominous next step if demands were not met or negotiations did not commence. Earlier in the day, he had hinted at taking over the Parliament House within minutes if he wanted to. Everything in the twin cities stood still and businesses along the Blue Area were completely shut. The ringmaster was at the peak of his performance. The weather was mercilessly cold. Over 250 men women and children out of the squatters had already fallen sick and reported to the PIMS and other hospitals. The stock market crashed by 500 points in just one day. The brilliant Allama knew time was running out and he had to pull an act that had the trappings of success before the crowd began to disperse. Therefore, he pronounced January 17 as the final day. Meanwhile, his internal organisation worked overtime to keep the crowd together and lessen their miseries as the ‘regal’ Maulana and his ‘royal’ family enjoyed the comforts and security of his bombproof luxury container.

(To be continued)

The writer is a retired brigadier of the Pakistan army and can be reached at clay.potter@hotmail.com