As if the self-styled saviours were not enough to torment this hapless nation of 180 million, we now have another self-appointed reformer descending from nowhere claiming to winch the country out of the political quagmire and banish the well-entrenched culture of corruption from society. Ostensibly, there is nothing wrong with his declared objectives. In a democratic polity, people do have the right to hold and express their opinions on matters of national interest and vie for the aspired changes in the political and governance system of the country in conformity with the constitution. Our constitution, however, does not allow dual nationals to contest elections and become members of parliament. In the case of Dr Tahirul Qadri, a pertinent question is whether a dual national has a legal right to indulge in political activities and lead an agitation for change or not. This indeed is a million dollar question to be answered by the court. A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court to stop Dr Qadri from going ahead with his proposed long march. A verdict on that petition needs to be delivered before the commencement of the march. In the meantime, it would perhaps be pertinent to have an incisive look at Dr Qadri’s actions and the intent for barging into the political cauldron so late in the day. Nobody can take issue with the plea for change. There are, however, certain rules of the game set forth by the fundamental laws of all the countries of the world, including the constitution of Pakistan, for effecting changes in the system through amendments in the constitution by a two-third majority of parliament. So the rule of the game here is that the proper forum for reforming the system is parliament and anybody desiring to bring changes has to win the public franchise for the reforms through elections. Dr Qadri certainly does not have the mandate of the people to represent them. The mandate of the majority of the people at present is with the two major political parties: the PPP, the PML-N and their allies. Trying to impose the will of the minority on the majority through agitation or force therefore is unconstitutional and an affront to the genius and political acumen of the people. Nobody will deny him the opportunity to participate in the political process in case he is declared eligible by the court for the undertaking. He needs to prove himself as the leader of the masses by winning the mandate of the people for the changes he contemplates to introduce. Even if Dr Qadri’s intentions are noble, the method adopted by him is very questionable. Ever since his arrival and rally in Lahore he has been saying things that make matters even more confusing, raising many questions about his credentials as a leader of the change. He has emphatically declared that his objective is the implementation of the constitution and that he does not want to sabotage the elections. But he contradicted himself while addressing the International Workers Convention in Lahore by saying, “My mission is to please Allah and to restore democracy in the country. Becoming a caretaker prime minister is not on my agenda as my status is million times bigger than any prime minister. The caretaker prime minister will be appointed by the people’s parliament. I urge the army not to obey orders to stop the march on Islamabad.” Talking to the media in Karachi the other day, he said that any caretaker government installed before the long march would be thrown out by the people. Where in the constitution is it mentioned that the people participating in a rally can appoint a caretaker prime minister? In his public address in Lahore, he demanded a role for the judiciary and the army in the appointment of a caretaker government. Is that not a glaring breach of the constitution? Is he not contradicting himself by saying two different things within the space of a week? Dr Qadri also does not seem to accept the prerogative of the incumbent government and the opposition to install the caretaker set up as per the provisions of the constitution. Is that what he calls implementation of the constitution? Inciting the army — which under the constitution is bound to respond to the call of the government in restoring law and order if need be — is also tantamount to sabotaging the constitution and falls within the ambit of sedition. His bragging about his status being million times bigger than any prime minister is also ridiculously bizarre. He seems to think himself as a supreme leader on a divine mission like General Ziaul Haq whose shenanigans actually pushed this country into the crucible. In view of the above, the concerns expressed by stakeholders in the continuation of the democratic process questioning Dr Qadri’s intentions and suspecting him of acting as a Trojan horse for the praetorian powers are not without substance. No long march has ever succeeded without the support of those powers. The timing of his arrival on the scene and the support expressed for his cause by political entities with dubious credentials strengthens these notions. Nevertheless, I personally take at its face value the statement by the DG ISPR that the army was not behind Dr Qadri but outrightly reject the latter’s claim that he was not doing it at the behest of any power or vested interest. There is certainly something sinister about the whole affair. The actions and statements given by Dr Tahirul Qadri are unconstitutional by all cannons of law and smack of disruptive motives. It is a question of protecting the constitution and the processes stipulated by the constitution to pursue political ambitions. The Supreme Court being the custodian of the constitution has to play its role in this regard. The political parties also need to resist the action replay by the forces inimical to democracy, more so the PPP that has given unparalleled sacrifices for democracy. It is encouraging to note that the PPP and PML-N have established contacts at the highest level to express solidarity in defending the democratic process and not to allow disruption of the ensuing elections. Another welcome development in this regard is the support shown by their allies and JUI -F. They are the parties enjoying the mandate of the majority of the masses and they owe it to the people not to allow anybody to sabotage their will. The writer is a retired diplomat, a freelance columnist and a member of the visiting faculty of the Riphah Institute of Media Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com