Criticising economic policies of the Sharif brothers here on Sunday, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri said, "They are ruling Pakistan as a family fiefdom to promote their business interests and empire for they do not trust anyone outside the family/clan circle.

"They have not taken a single step for the welfare of the people during the past seven months except for whitening their ill-gotten billions of rupees through recent amnesty scheme.

The crucial affairs of the country are being conducted without a permanent Foreign Minister and important posts of ambassadors and high commissioners have been lying vacant for several months.

Tahirul Qadri was addressing a huge rally on the Mall Road via a video link to protest against what he said rising inflation, corruption, nepotism, and political favouritism. Thousands of Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers gathered on the call of Qadri.

Qadri said his party has launched a movement for peaceful revolution for implementation of Article 38 of the Constitution to secure the well-being of the people, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, by raising their standard of living, by preventing the concentration of wealth and means of production and distribution in the hands of a few to the detriment of general interest and by ensuring equitable adjustment of rights between employers and employees, and landlords and tenants.

The Constitution ensures basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief, for all citizens, within the available resources of the country, facilities for work and adequate livelihood with reasonable rest and leisure.

The PAT chief said his party would struggle for the realisation of people's basic human rights as envisioned by Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The government should fulfil the basic rights of masses or else "they would snatch them during PAT's second phase of movement."

He said those in power want to get hold of all giant public institutions by privatising them, whereas the same public organisations had been making profits in the past.

Criticising parliamentarians and the ruling elite, Qadri said that 50 percent of the lawmakers do not pay taxes. Those politicians forfeit their right to sit in parliament, according to him.

He said that the resources of the state are being exploited for the benefit of a mere 100-200 families. He termed the existing democratic set-up a "political dictatorship".

"Exactly how many families in Pakistan possess Rs 50 million rupees?," he inquired referring to PM's amnesty scheme which promises zero scrutiny for anyone interested in investing up to Rs 50 million in the industry.

He went on to criticise other areas of national policy, reiterating that the interests of the elite class were being facilitated at the expense of the masses.

He said if elected to power, PAT would bring peace in the country in one year, limit the land holdings up to 50 acres per family, and provide free housing, clothing, and health and education facilities to the poor. It would tax the rich and would not put burden of direct or indirect taxes on the low income groups.

"The government brought into circulation the currency notes worth Rs 1,000 billion; this forced the citizens of Pakistan to buckle under the massive juggernaut of inflation," Dr Qadri claimed.

Dr Hussain Mohiudin Qadri, the son of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, led and addressed the rally and condemned the government for its failure to control price hike, corruption, unemployment and terrorism.

He said PAT would continue its struggle till a "true revolution" takes place.

The rally, set from Nasir Bagh marched up to "Chairing Cross Chowk" near Punjab Assembly where Allama Qadri addressed the rally via a video link.

Heavy contingents of police were deployed at Nasir Bagh, Chowk Anarkali, High Court Chowk, Regal Chowk and Chairing Cross.

Source: Business Recorder