Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (‎; born 19 February 1951) is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and former politician who founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

He served as a professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab, and is the founding chairman of several sub-organizations of Minhaj-ul-Quran International.

Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri was born on February 19, 1951, in the Jhang District of Pakistan.

He received both non-religious and Islamic education at a young age and was a student of Tahir Allauddin Al-Qadri Al-Gillani.

Additionally, he attained a First Class degree, an MA in Islamic Studies, and a PhD in Islamic Law from the University of Punjab where he eventually held positions as a lecturer and later as a Professor of Law.

Minhaj-ul-Quran International is an organization established on 17 October 1980, with branches in over a hundred countries.

The organization states that its mission is to promote religious moderation, effective education, inter-faith dialogue and harmony, and a moderate interpretation of Islam, drawing on methods of Sufism.

In May 1989, he founded Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and successfully contested elections in 1990, becoming a Member of the National Assembly.

However, on 29 November 2004, Qadri announced his resignation from the National Assembly of Pakistan in protest of the counter-terrorism policies of then-President Pervez Musharraf, whom he viewed as dictatorial.

Subsequently, in 2005, he relocated to Canada.

Additionally, he has been featured in every edition of The 500 Most Influential Muslims since its first edition in 2009.

In March 2011, the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted special consultative status to Minhaj-ul-Quran International.

In December 2012, after residing in Toronto, Canada for seven years, Qadri returned to Pakistan and launched a political campaign.

He called for a "million-men" march in Islamabad to protest against the government's corruption.

He demanded the establishment of an independent body to conduct electoral reforms, with the aim of ensuring free and fair elections.

Additionally, he stated that if the constitutional requirements were not met, he would reject the upcoming elections.

On 14 January 2013, a crowd marched down the city's main avenue, with thousands of people pledging to engage in a sit-in until their demands were met.

When he commenced the long march from Lahore, approximately 50,000 people accompanied him.

He addressed the rally in front of parliament, stating, "There is no Parliament; there is a group of looters, thieves, and dacoits.. Our lawmakers are the lawbreakers."

After four days of sit-in, the Government and Qadri signed an agreement called the Islamabad Long March Declaration, which promised electoral reforms and increased political transparency.

Critics have alleged that the protests were a ploy by the Pakistan Armed Forces to delay elections and undermine the influence of the civilian government.

They have pointed to Qadri's close ties to the military, dual nationality, and questionable foreign and Pakistani sources of funding as evidence to support their claims.

Lawyers for the Supreme Court of Pakistan asserted that Qadri's demands are unfeasible because they conflict with the Constitution of Pakistan.

The Tribune reported on 17 February 2013, that Qadri seemed to have capitulated on most of his demands in the Islamabad Long March Declaration.

On 17 June 2014, a violent clash occurred between the Punjab Police and Pakistan Awami Tehreek activists resulting in the deaths of several protesters from police gunfire.

Tahir-ul-Qadri said the police refused to log a First Information Report.

The Baqir Najfi inquiry found that police actively participated in the massacre to remove barriers that were installed on orders of the High Court.

Tahir-ul-Qadri's flight was scheduled to land at Islamabad airport; however, the Pakistani authorities denied landing permission, leading to the plane being diverted to Lahore airport.

Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed concerns about potential harm from the Government of Punjab, and was personally escorted by the convoy of the Governor of Punjab to his residence in Model Town, Lahore.

As of the end of September 2014, the Inqilab March began, with sit-in protests with allied partner Imran Khan, chairman and founder of Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and organiser of 2014 Azadi March, in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad.

Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri did not fully join their protest marches nor decline to support each other.

On 10 August 2014, Qadri formally announced that his party's political march, the Inqilab March, would proceed parallel with PTI's Azadi march.

Both marches were organised to take different routes, albeit closely mirroring each other.

It is apparent that the two parties have similar objectives yet different aims and strategies.

The announcement of two parallel marches by parties in opposition gave rise to speculation that a coalition between PTI and PAT was possible.

The chiefs of the two parties never clearly stipulated a formal coalition; but an informal agreement to support each other was achieved.

On 21 August 2014, Qadri said that the government had not been allowing his workers to supply food items and potable water to the participants of the sit-in.

The Daily Dawn of 31 August 2014 claimed that hundreds of people were injured in the federal capital as police battled throngs of protesters led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

Then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to act as a mediator.

General Raheel Sharif met with Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan to end the sit-in.